Indonesian President Joko Widodo has asked the United States, China and Russia to avoid starting new wars as tensions remain high in many parts of the world.
In his opening remarks at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta on Thursday, President Widodo stressed the importance of building stability in Southeast Asia and the surrounding region. To be able to maintain the peace and prosperity that has lasted for decades.
This week’s EAS meeting brings together leaders and representatives from ASEAN member states. Including important partners including the United States, China, Russia, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
President Widodo addressed attendees in Indonesian. With the content that “Everyone in this room has the same responsibility to not create new conflicts, not create new tense situations, not start new wars,” he said. We also have a responsibility to defuse elevated tensions. to ease the situation between states that are in a state of coldness towards each other to create space for dialogue and discussion To create a bridge connecting all points of difference.”
However, this message was not sent to the leaders of the three superpowers, namely President Joe Biden and President Vladimir Putin directly as they all decided to send their representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris, Prime Minister Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the meeting. This year instead
and as the rotating chairman of ASEAN Indonesian leaders announced earlier that The 10-member association “agrees not to be a representative of any power” and stressed that Southeast Asia will not become the outpost of a new Cold War. This is a promise he made when he took over as ASEAN chairman from Cambodia last year.
Aaron Connely, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told VOA that Indonesia “views great power competition as the main threat to its interests in the [ASEAN] region” and “views The competition itself is not one country that starts the competition. is a threat.”
ASEAN leaders immediately responded to Widodo’s statement, such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, who said “the international environment is full of geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty” and also asked for to Washington and Beijing “Show leadership” in solving various problems in the world as well
Evie Fitriani, a professor of international relations at Universitas Indonesia, told VOA: “It’s time to tell the world powers: Everything they are doing in this region is too much.”
US attitude at the EAS meeting
At this year’s meeting Leaders of various nations focused on the issue of ASEAN’s inability to demand that the Myanmar military government implement its proposed peace plan. and the case of China’s increasingly assertive attitude in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. including the impact of the war in Ukraine on the rest of the world and the threat of North Korea’s nuclear development program.
Information from the White House indicates that Vice President Harris “Strongly condemns” the war in Ukraine, which “This has made food insecurity worse,” and has also condemned North Korea’s nuclear and missile testing programs and expressed concern over the situation. China’s “serious violations of human rights”
In addition, the Vice President of the United States Still condemning the Myanmar military government He called it a “brutal action” and asked for harder pressure on Myanmar to implement the peace plan proposed by ASEAN.
Last Wednesday night Harris had a side meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, reiterating the position of “the United States that opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo in the South China Sea and the East China Sea”.
- Source: VOA
