There was a palpable sense of apprehension among onlookers as Indonesia passed the gavel of the ASEAN chairmanship to Laos at its summit in September. Diplomats and observers alike worry that Laos, a diminutive communist state currently facing debilitating macroeconomic instability, may not be able to smoothly navigate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) … Read more
Indonesia’s government says that it has hosted a meeting of some of the “major stakeholders” in Myanmar’s civil war, at which each gave a “positive indication” about holding an inclusive dialogue soon. In a statement Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the November 20-22 meetings in Jakarta were attended by “multi-stakeholders representing the … Read more
Advertisement Usually, the most exciting moments of the annual summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are when something doesn’t happen. It has lived long in the memory of political commentators that the regional bloc failed to deliver a joint, post-summit statement in 2012 when Cambodia, as ASEAN chair that year, seemingly put … Read more
Advertisement The 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings, which are taking place this week in Jakarta under Indonesia’s chairmanship, might seem like an opportunity teeming with potential for the Southeast Asian bloc. However, the summit is taking place at an intersection of geopolitical challenges and is fraught with the bloc’s … Read more
Advertisement The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has stiffened its stance toward its conflict-torn problem member Myanmar, with chair Indonesia openly acknowledging the lack of progress in implementing the bloc’s peace plan. In a statement issued yesterday following its annual summit in Jakarta, Southeast Asian leaders “strongly condemned” the continuing violence in Myanmar, and … Read more
Advertisement Southeast Asian leaders led by Indonesian host President Joko Widodo are gathering in their final summit this year, besieged by divisive issues with no solutions in sight: Myanmar’s deadly civil strife, new flare-ups in the disputed South China Sea, and the longstanding United States-China rivalry. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings will open … Read more
Advertisement Tomorrow, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will begin a three-day run of summits and meetings against a backdrop of intensifying frictions in the South China Sea. The disputes, which pit China’s expansive “nine-dash line” maritime claim against rival claims from four Southeast Asian claimants – Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei – … Read more
Advertisement China seems to have asserted itself as the power behind BRICS in recent weeks, but closer to home Beijing is flailing. It is struggling to find support in Southeast Asia, where leaders are prepping for the annual ASEAN summit in Jakarta. That follows a solid year for Indonesia as ASEAN chair. Jakarta took a … Read more
Trans-Pacific View | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia The president attended the past two ASEAN-U.S. and East Asia summits, but will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris at next month’s meetings in Jakarta. U.S. President Joe Biden poses with leaders from the ASEAN member states at the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit, May 12, 2022. Credit: Official White House Photo Advertisement … Read more
Advertisement Indonesia’s top diplomat warned Tuesday of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, saying that Southeast Asia is “one miscalculation away from apocalypse” and pressing for world powers to sign a treaty to keep the region free from such arms. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi raised the alarm ahead of a two-day summit of the … Read more