Indonesia President Joko Widodo (centre) speaks at the 18th East Asia Summit during the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta on Sept 7, 2023. - AFP
JAKARTA (Bloomberg): US Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Asian leaders against the backdrop of their competing visions for global security and increasing rivalry.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, urged the leaders on Thursday to strengthen cooperation and dialogue and not to stoke divisions and "new wars.” His comments came a day after Li urged the bloc to oppose moves that could lead to a "new Cold War.”
Harris, meanwhile, sought to demonstrate America’s enduring commitment to the region after the heads of the 10-nation bloc expressed disappointment over the absence of President Joe Biden.
Observers will also be watching whether the Chinese premier will meet on the sidelines with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida or South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol, who are also in attendance.
While the region practices a collective non-alignment in the broader geopolitical competition between the US and China, Asean leaders remain anxious about the prospect of a regional conflict over Taiwan or in the South China Sea, while also being under pressure to address the rising violence in Myanmar.
Jokowi, as the Indonesian leader is known, made a strong pitch for dialogue instead of rivalry at the East Asia Summit attended by Harris and Li.
"All of us sitting in this room have an equal responsibility to create peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. We have the same responsibility not to create new conflicts, not to create new tensions, new wars,” he said.
During the Summit, Harris was seen chatting warmly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysia’s leader Anwar Ibrahim. She sat two seats away from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was seen smiling at Modi from across the room.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he will visit China this year after a meeting with Li on the sidelines of Asean. Albanese said his trip would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first visit by an Australian prime minister in November 1973, hinting at a similar date for this year’s trip.
Albanese said he raised issues of importance to Australia, including remaining trade impediments, consular cases and human rights. "We discussed and shared perspectives on regional and international security issues,” he added.
Indonesia’s DefenCe Minister Prabowo Subianto, who’s a likely contender at next year’s presidential election, said the country doesn’t want to be involved in any conflict including between US and China.
"Our stance, our position has always been free and active, non-aligned. We don’t want to be involved in anything. We are friends of all those countries.” Indonesia also has a good relations with Russia and wants to maintain those ties.
Indonesia’s Jokowi sought to "optimiSe” collaboration during the Asean-India Summit, urging India’s Modi to support a vision for a blue economy.
"We must be able to make the ocean a sea of cooperation, not a sea of confrontation that must continue to maintain stability,” the leader known as Jokowi said, underscoring the potential of the Indian Ocean that connects 33 countries, 2.9 billion people, and come 2025, one-fifth of the world’s GDP.
In turn, Modi said India fully supports Asean’s centrality as the region plays an important role in global development.
"Progress in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific and amplifying the voice of the global south is in our common interest,” Modi said, noting the importance of a rules based post-Covid world order.
Harris highlighted America’s "ironclad” alliance with the Philippines during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on the margins of the summit.
The two leaders discussed maritime security in the South China Sea, and opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, "including alongside like-minded partners,” according to a White House statement.
The Philippines has not only grown close with the US under Marcos’s leadership, but has also been seen firming up relationships with Washington’s other allies, namely Japan and Australia, in a bid to strengthen its defence posture in the region.
