The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting opens today in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. 

During the meeting, the ASEAN foreign ministers and their counterparts from dialogue partner countries will discuss measures on how to strengthen the ASEAN community. These include the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025, and exchange of views on regional and international issues of common concern and interest.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, United States Secretary of State John Kerry, Japan's Fumio Kishida and South Korea's Yun Byung-se will be joined by fellow foreign ministers representing ASEAN dialogue partners in attendance for associated talks, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting and bilateral meetings.

The foreign ministers' meeting is one of the multi-sectoral meetings being hosted by Laos as per its ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, culminating in the heads-of-government East Asia Summit set for September 6 in Vientiane.