Southeast Asian leaders and major powers gathered at a high-level summit in Jakarta to discuss major political and geopolitical issues. This summit offers a unique opportunity for major powers to put pressure on the bloc of 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and find common ground despite their differences.
The meeting was marked by the participation of US Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced President Joe Biden. For his part, Chinese Premier Li Qiang represented President Xi Jinping. The two leaders stressed their will to seek peace and highlighted the strong economic ties between China and ASEAN.
However, these meetings do not only focus on bilateral relations between world powers and ASEAN. An ASEAN+3 summit brought together leaders of ASEAN member countries with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. These meetings provided an opportunity to discuss important regional issues, such as the dispute between China and Japan over the discharge of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Indonesia, as the host country, stressed the importance for ASEAN countries not to mediate major powers in their disputes. This refers to ongoing tensions between the United States and China, particularly regarding Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A roundtable between Kamala Harris and Sergei Lavrov is expected to be the first high-level meeting between the United States and Russia since the condemnation of ASEAN’s invasion of Ukraine in July.
The meetings ended with joint statements aimed at boosting diplomatic, economic and food cooperation between major powers and ASEAN. However, other regional topics such as ballistic missile launches by North Korea and the situation in Burma were also discussed. Some ASEAN members, such as Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, have also expressed concern over China’s new official map claiming sovereignty over the South China Sea. These issues were raised in joint statements at the end of the meetings, but ASEAN members were careful to avoid directly confronting China.
This summit was therefore an opportunity for ASEAN to strengthen its ties with the major world powers and to contribute to stability and peace in the Southeast Asian region. By working to find common ground despite differences, the leaders have shown their willingness to cooperate for the well-being of their countries and the region as a whole.