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ndonesia has thrown its support behind Laos'€™ chairmanship of ASEAN, urging the country to maintain the group'€™s unity and centrality as it entered a new chapter in the establishment of the community.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo conveyed his remarks to new ASEAN chair Laos during a meeting with Lao President Choummaly Sayasone on the sidelines of the US-ASEAN summit in Palm Springs, California, on Monday.

In line with the ASEAN Charter, the chairmanship of ASEAN rotates annually based on the alphabetical order of member states'€™ English names. Assuming the chairmanship from Malaysia, Laos will chair ASEAN summits and related meetings in 2016.

'€œIndonesia congratulates Laos. I am sure that [under Laos'€™ chairmanship] ASEAN will develop better cooperation and succeed in realizing ASEAN'€™s mission,'€ Jokowi said.

Jokowi added that ASEAN faced a momentous era of forging an economic community and tackling issues related to economic and maritime cooperation as well as security in the South China Sea.

Jokowi underlined the importance of ASEAN centrality in managing regional affairs and unity amid global geopolitical developments.

ASEAN centrality remains a crucial aspect for the grouping, which has seen its share of rivalry between global powers. During its summits and other meetings, ASEAN typically brings together major regional players '€” sitting leaders of the US, China and India at one table '€” and it has the mandate to address the most pressing issues.

Laos has close political and economic ties with China, prompting US concern that Vientiane might behave like Cambodia did when it held the ASEAN chairmanship in 2012.

Cambodia was accused of obstructing consensus in the bloc to stand up to China'€™s assertive pursuit of its South China Sea claims, which have since included the building of artificial islands suitable for military use.

China is in an increasingly angry dispute with several of its neighbors, including ASEAN members Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, over claims to parts of the oil and gas-rich South China Sea.

US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Laos in January, pushing for ASEAN unity in meetings with Laos'€™ leaders.

'€œIt is particularly important that Laos finds itself playing a critical role within ASEAN, and ASEAN itself is critical to upholding the rules-based system in the Asia-Pacific and ensuring that every country, big and small, has a say in addressing the matters of shared concern,'€ Kerry said.

At the handover ceremony from Malaysia in November last year, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong said Laos would continue to promote effective cooperation with ASEAN'€™s external partners based on the outward-looking policy of ASEAN, while enhancing ASEAN centrality and relevance in an evolving regional and global environment.

Setting the theme '€œTurning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community'€ for its chairmanship, the Lao leadership has vowed to forge better cooperation in a bid to implement the ASEAN vision.