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Welcoming ASEAN's new secretary-general
The question of how far ASEAN can press its largest trade partner on the South China Sea issue, whilst taking into consideration the wider strategic partnership, will be a delicate one for Secretary-General Lim to address.
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Marching in: People take part in the ASEAN 50 Parade on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. The parade displayed national and traditional cultures from ASEAN member countries. (JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)
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n Jan. 5, Lim Jock Hoi officially assumed the office of the ASEAN secretary-general at a handover ceremony held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. Replacing the outgoing Le Luong Minh, who served from 2013 to 2017, the former permanent secretary at Brunei’s foreign ministry would be forgiven for taking it easy during his first few days as he accustomed himself to his new role.
Instead, he hit the ground running, attending a groundbreaking ceremony for the new ASEAN Secretariat building on the same day.
The next day, whilst most were enjoying their weekend, Secretary-General Lim was “punching the company clock,” opening the fifth roundtable of ASEAN-Indian network of think tanks
at an event featuring Foreign Minister LP Retno Marsudi and her visiting counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.
