Grouped under the banner of the ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), the talks have been eagerly awaited by many as an opportunity for Southeast Asia to address critical issues such as the Myanmar coup crisis.

With the credibility of ASEAN at stake, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has said that all programs under the Indonesian chairmanship are tailor-made to ensure the group remains agile and united amid “destabilization” in the region.

“At the global level, we face geopolitical food, energy, financial and political crises. At the regional level, major-power rivalries could spill over and could potentially destabilize the region,” Retno said in her opening remarks for the ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting.

“Internally, we are facing a situation in Myanmar that tests our credibility,” she said of the third layer of challenges.

Furthermore, Retno said that ASEAN would be an anchor of stability within the wider region, a callback to a conversation with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, where he warned that ASEAN must not become caught in proxy wars and stay focused on remaining an epicenter of growth.

Over the past few months, the Indo-Pacific region has turned into a battleground for influence between the United States and China, prompting nation states to engage in balancing acts where they cooperate with Beijing in economics while also keeping Washington close for security purposes.

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