Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivers a speech on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
ASEAN should not become a proxy to any power, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told regional foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is committed to strengthen its unity, solidarity and ASEAN’s centrality in maintaining peace and stability in the region, said Widodo in Jakarta on Friday.
"ASEAN cannot be a competition, it can't be a proxy of any country, and international law should be respected consistently," Widodo said.
Speaking to ministers from the 18-nation East Asia Summit, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the region “should not be another battleground”. Instead, it must remain stable, although some media outlets are hyping symptoms of a “Cold War in hot places”, she said
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi also emphasized that the Asia-Pacific region must not be allowed to become a battleground. She was addressing the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Indonesian capital on July 14 before the country wrapped up hosting a series of ministerial gatherings of ASEAN.
Speaking to ministers from the 18-nation EAS, Marsudi said the region “should not be another battleground”. Instead, it must remain stable, she told ministers from the 18-nation EAS, although some media outlets are hyping symptoms of a “Cold War in hot places”.
The EAS includes the 10 ASEAN member states plus China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Russia, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
Widodo pointed out that ASEAN has the potential to become the epicenter of growth, both in terms of its young population and also in its abundant natural resources.
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“We, ASEAN countries, developing countries, need understanding, wisdom and also need support, both from developed countries and friendly countries to leave the zero-sum approach and take a win-win approach,” he said.
The ASEAN Regional Forum, the region’s largest security meeting, was held on the same day as the EAS.
Foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries and the group’s dialogue partners, among others, gathered in Jakarta on July 11-14 for their annual meetings. Timor-Leste, which the 10-nation bloc voted in favor of its membership “in principle”, attended as an observer.
The 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is held in Jakarta on July 14, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest contributor to global growth over the next 30 years. And the region must not only become a net contributor to growth but also one for peace that projects its paradigm of collaboration to other regions, Marsudi said, noting that mistrust and uncertainties remain.
We, ASEAN countries, developing countries, need understanding, wisdom and also need support, both from developed countries and friendly countries to leave the zero-sum approach and take a win-win approach.
Joko Widodo, Indonesian President
ASEAN has been trying to maintain neutrality with the concept of ASEAN centrality, said Dino Patti Djalal, Indonesia’s former deputy minister of foreign affairs, so inclusion and cooperation are the key elements.
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“When we talk about inclusive, we refer mostly to China,” said Djalal, who is glad to see that China has openly voiced its support for ASEAN. The region “has to engage China”.
The meetings came as the region faces multiple challenges, including China-US trade tension, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Myanmar crisis, and Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific this summer.
Answering media questions regarding Japan’s discharge plan, Djalal said the issue should be addressed by ASEAN if it can be scientifically proven that it causes environmental damage.
On the sidelines of the ministerial gatherings, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin.
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Park said Japan should immediately cease the water discharge if radiation levels beyond the international standard are detected. In response, Hayashi said Tokyo would “speedily” share the monitoring results of Japan’s release of nuclear wastewater.
Leonardus Jegho is a freelance journalist for China Daily.
Contact the writers at kelly@chinadailyapac.com