TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Expecting Prabowo’s expanded foreign policy priority to East Asia
East Asia – China, Japan, and South Korea – is one of, if not the, most important centers of global economic and security gravity, amid the US’ concerted attempt to contain China’s domination in the region.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Posing for a group photo, from left to right, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Singapore's then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Japan's Prime Minster Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao pose for a family photo during the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 6, 2023. Tatan Syuflana/Pool via REUTERS (Reuters/POOL)
T
he remarks of a prominent Chinese scholar who says China needs ASEAN to play the role of “super-connector” between the country and the United States in East Asia, and the view of his Indonesian colleague that the next Indonesian government needs to redirect attention back to the region, are in line, I think, with president-elect Prabowo Subianto showing an interest in broadening the country’s traditional ASEAN-based foreign policy.
Speaking as the keynote speaker during the launching event of Prasetiya Mulya University’s Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) on June 12, professor Chen Dongxiao said that for China, the future lay in recognizing the role of ASEAN as a “super-connector” between two competing big powers, China and the US.
“Furthermore, China and the US could explore a tripartite alignment within ASEAN’s inclusive mechanism. Finally, China and the US can support ASEAN’s central role in regional affairs, potentially elevating ASEAN to become the focal point of the region,” said Chen, the president of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS).
Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasushi Masaki and Japanese Ambassador to ASEAN, Masahiko Kiya were among foreign diplomats present during the event. The CEAS stands a big chance of playing a role as a private think tank on East Asia.
Meanwhile, Jusuf Wanandi, chair of the CEAS advisory council, suggested that the incoming government embrace “minilateralism” as great powers are interested more in creating small groups with allies and like-minded countries. Smaller countries cannot do much about it, Jusuf added, as “the strong do what they can or what they wish”.
“It is timely to revitalize our own minilateralism – to focus on nurturing and intensifying our collaboration with the closest dialogue partners, namely Japan, China and South Korea,” Jusuf said.
Minilateralism is no stranger to ASEAN. The bloc itself started with a small group, with five founding members Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
