With less than two full days to carry out dozens of group and one-to-one talks on everything from terrorism to the economy, diplomats held a flurry of meetings as Philippine police tightened security across the capital Manila.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who also vowed to defend his country over a failed terrorism case against an Indian doctor, led criticism of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, after the isolated state objected to a new human rights body.

"What amazes me about Burma is that... the leadership seems completely insensitive to and impervious to the views of the outside world," said Downer, adding various strategies had failed to sway the ruling junta.

"There have been sanctions, there has been so-called constructive engagement, there have been human rights dialogues, there have been visits, there have been representations, there have been threats," he said.

"But nothing moves the leadership of Burma."

Diplomats said Myanmar's objections nearly kept the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) from mentioning the creation of a new human rights body in the draft of its first-ever charter presented on Monday.

The draft included the rights body but contained no details on how or when it would come into being, and Downer urged China and India to help get the reclusive state to restore democracy and release activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Meanwhile China again promised that its rising power was not a threat to the region, vowing to be a good neighbour to Asean at a meeting with foreign ministers from the bloc as well as his own country, Japan and South Korea.

"China is committed to building good-neighbourly relations and partnerships with its neighbours and strengthening cooperation in the region," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said.

"All of this shows that Asean Plus Three has made a great contribution to peace, stability, economic development, social progress and common prosperity," he said.

Ministers also held a moment of silence before the meeting to pray for two South Koreans kidnapped and slain in Afghanistan by the hardline Taliban.