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ASEAN can never be a proxy, Indonesia reasserts at ministerial meeting
Navigating regional tensions sparked by the United States-China rivalry and the unabated territorial dispute in the South China Sea have become important talking points in the early days of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, with top diplomats urging the bloc to remain united in dialogues with external partners.
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Security personnel walk on July 24, 2024, in front of the National Convention Centre, the venue for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings, in Vientiane, Laos. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
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SEAN is not a proxy for any major power, Indonesia’s top diplomat asserted on Thursday in a meeting with Southeast Asian counterparts in Laos, amid concerns the bloc is not pulling its weight enough amid a precarious power rivalry in its own backyard.
Tensions in the region are only one wrong move away from an open conflict, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi suggested, lamenting the lack of commitment shown by some ASEAN partners in keeping the region free of nuclear weapons.
Navigating tensions sparked by the rivalry between the United States and China and the unabating territorial dispute over the region’s strategic waters have become among the most prominent discussion points at the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
The early days of the talks on Wednesday and Thursday, traditionally held for the bloc’s internal housekeeping discussions ahead of meetings with its major partners, came amid surging geopolitical uncertainties from increased security alliances within the region, which have evidently tested several ASEAN member states in recent times.
The Philippines, for example, which has a disputing claim against Beijing in the South China Sea, has chosen to align its military with the US. The archipelagic nation also entered a security partnership with Japan earlier this month.
“One wrong step in the South China Sea will turn a small spark into a terrifying firestorm,” Retno said on Thursday following a retreat session where envoys engaged in candid discussions.
Read also: ASEAN unity urged for South China Sea progress
