KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia called Friday for fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to extend their security partnerships from the high seas to cyberspace at an annual meeting of the bloc's defense ministers.

Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin opened the meeting by warning that regional peace faces growing pressure from both traditional and emerging threats, including rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea and the spread of cyberattacks that can “disrupt societies, topple governments and undermine critical infrastructure.”

“Threats today transcend borders and dimensions,” he said. “We see the challenges in the South China Sea. But we must also recognize that our digital realm is equally at risk. The threats that test our networks and systems may be invisible, but just as dangerous as those threatening our maritime zones.

ASEAN defense ministers will hold talks Saturday with dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea and Russia. Among those attending are U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who arrived late Wednesday, and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.

Hegseth and Khaled held a bilateral meeting Thursday and reaffirmed the U.S. and Malaysia's commitment to maritime security in the South China Sea, according to a joint statement issued Friday.

In an apparent swipe at China, Khaled said in the statement that “grey-zone tactics, such as hydrographic research conducted under the protection of foreign coast guard vessels, threaten sovereignty and are a clear provocation and threat.” Malaysia has previously protested the encroachment of Chinese vessels into its waters but usually prefers quiet diplomacy. That's in contrast to the neighboring Philippines, which has had major confrontations with China at sea in recent years.

Both Khaled and Hegseth agreed that “respect for sovereignty is imperative” in the waterway, the statement added. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, overlapping claims made by countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

In his speech Friday, Khaled also urged all ASEAN nations to expedite the formation of an ASEAN observer team to support Thailand and Cambodia in resolving their border crisis. The two nations inked an expanded ceasefire pact on Sunday, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is this year's ASEAN chair.

Khaled also reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to support a peaceful resolution of the civil war in Myanmar, saying the bloc remains determined to help the country “return to its rightful place in ASEAN.”

Myanmar military government leaders have been barred from ASEAN meetings after failing to comply with the bloc’s 2021 Five-Point Consensus on peace and dialogue.

Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since a military takeover in 2021 ousted its elected government, sparking widespread resistance and international condemnation.