U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday urged China and members of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN to put pressure on Myanmar’s rulers to return to democracy and to hold it accountable to a peace deal agreed with the group. “It is incumbent on China and in China’s interest to see Burma move back to the path it was on,” Blinken said, using the country’s former name. Speaking at a news conference in Bangkok during a tour of Asia, Blinken called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to hold Myanmar’s government accountable to “five-point consensus” peace agreement. “The ASEAN countries need to hold the regime accountable for that … continue to demand the cessation of violence and release of prisoners,” he added. (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/blinken-thailand-shore-up-regional-support-counter-china-push-2022-07-10/) ASEAN’s nine members and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in April last year signed an agreement that included immediate cessation of violence and dialogue among all parties.