W

arm welcome: United States Secretary of State John Kerry along with US Trade Representative Michael Froman (right) wave to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan (neither seen in the photo) during the APEC Ministerial Meeting at Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)US President Barack Obama was supposed to take the leading role in the prestigious annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. But his absence is likely to open opportunities for other world powers to steal the limelight.Indonesians were struggling to maintain the mood following Obama'€™s no-show as China and Russia geared up to take more prominent positions on stage and boost their respective influences among the 21 APEC economies.Obama has cancelled his Asia trip, which also included the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Brunei Darussalam later this month.In his telephone conversation with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday morning, Obama conveyed '€œdeep regret'€ for his inability to attend the APEC Summit, due to the US government'€™s partial shutdown following the budgetary stand-off in Congress.But Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was confident the summit would go ahead just as smoothly without him. '€œWe fully understand the US decision given the political situation concerning the budgetary issues currently taking place there. We look forward to the effective participation of Secretary of State John Kerry representing the US,'€ Marty said.Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan shared Marty'€™s optimism. '€œObama'€™s absence is a bit of a disappointment but the show must go on,'€ he said. '€œThe presence of leaders of 20 other member economies makes it impossible for us not to discuss APEC'€™s substantial issues as planned.'€A push from APEC to breathe renewed life into the World Trade Organization (WTO), as concerns are expressed over the future of the trade forum, is high on the bloc'€™s agenda, and Obama'€™s presence was expected to boost confidence in those efforts. Support for the WTO is crucial as APEC accounts for about 55 percent of the world'€™s gross domestic product (GDP), and some 44 percent of global trade. WTO negotiations between developed and developing countries over tariff reductions for agricultural and industrial goods have remained at an impasse since the Doha Round of negotiations in 2008. This has eroded confidence in the WTO'€™s capacities. The deadlock has also triggered a rise in bilateral and regional trade agreements that are feared might turn into a veritable spaghetti bowl of conflicting trade rules. Other key issues between the US and the region also revolve around the crisis in Syria and tensions in the South China Sea. Indonesia has long tried to move more center stage on these issues. Yudhoyono has called on nations to promote dialogue and a peaceful approach to settle the conflict in Syria, particularly after the recent chemical attack that reportedly killed hundreds of people.'€œWe'€™ll still have other opportunities [with Obama] to discuss the issues. Besides, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg last month, the two state leaders also discussed the matter,'€ Marty said.Marty rejected any suggestion that Obama'€™s absence would smooth Chinese President Xi Jinping'€™s path to garnering larger leverage in Indonesia, as well as in the region.'€œI don'€™t think necessarily the absence of any particular leader will mean greater roles for other countries. I think that is not how things are,'€ Marty said, pointing out the US'€™ exceptional role in the region. '€œThe US'€™ engagement in the region is a continuous, not event-based, fact,'€ he said.He also denied that Obama'€™s decision would affect Jakarta-Washington ties. '€œOf course it would be wonderful to have President Obama participating in a forum like APEC, but in recent times, Indonesia-US engagement in the region has been very good,'€ Marty said.The minister acknowledged several issues had been thoroughly prepared by the government to be raised during the now cancelled Yudhonono-Obama bilateral meeting in Bali.When the White House announced earlier this week that Obama had canceled his visit to Malaysia and the Philippines but would attend the APEC Summit and EAS, many believed it was because of Washington'€™s seriousness in strengthening its influence in the region. The executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Rizal Sukma agreed that China could be '€œthe star'€ of the APEC Summit as well as the subsequent EAS in Brunei Darussalam. '€œFor these two summits, yes, China will overshadow the US. But it is too early to say Washington'€™s influence in the region has been undermined by Obama'€™s absence from the two summits,'€ he said.Rizal also said that Obama'€™s cancelled Asia trip would reinforce questions over the US policy of rebalancing its influence from the Middle East toward Asia Pacific. '€œObama is ready and able to maintain the policy. But the global situation, the budget issues in the US, as well as its domestic political matters, lessen its capacity to do so,'€ he said.Meanwhile, Chairul Tanjung, the deputy chairman of the APEC Summit'€™s organizing committee, said that the security arrangements for the leaders attending the APEC summit would remain tight despite the cancellation of the US President'€™s visit.