Indonesia Wants US to Be Part of Inclusive Cooperation in the Region
For more than five decades, ASEAN has enjoyed peace and stability. ASEAN countries are also working hard to build a regional architecture that prioritizes cooperation.
By
MAWAR KUSUMA WULAN, KRIS RAZIANTO MADA
·4 minutes read
PASCAL BIN SADJU
Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh addresses a live video conference during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US Ministerial Meeting, held online due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, in Hanoi on September 10, 2020. – China accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the contested South China Sea, as tensions between Washington and Beijing look set to swamp a regional Asian summit..
WASHINGTON, FRIDAY — As the traditional leader of ASEAN, Indonesia hopes the United States will be a part of the efforts for peace, stability and inclusive cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made the call while attending a luncheon for the leaders of ASEAN countries with the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and members of the US Congress at Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, on Thursday (12/5/2022).
During the luncheon, President Jokowi was given the honor to speak first and introduce the leaders of the ASEAN countries who were present. Furthermore, together with Pelosi, President Jokowi led the meeting.
"Since 2019, ASEAN has agreed on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, ensuring the continuity of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. I invite the US to continue to be part of the anchor of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," said President Jokowi.
For more than five decades, ASEAN has enjoyed peace and stability. ASEAN countries are also working hard to build a regional architecture that prioritizes cooperation.
"The win-win paradigm is being fought for, a culture of dialogue is strengthened, inclusive cooperation is promoted, and international law and multilateral values are at the helm," the President said.
To that end, the President invited the US to continue to be a strategic partner of ASEAN.
On that occasion, the President also mentioned the war in Ukraine. According to the President, the war occurred because international law and multilateralism were ignored. This situation can happen anywhere, including in the Indo-Pacific. To that end, the President invited the US to continue to be a strategic partner of ASEAN.
"We also want America to become ASEAN's strategic partner in inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation. I am sure that together we can witness the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region," said President Jokowi.
However, a number of parties believe this opportunity has not been fully looked at by the US. An Asia expert at the American Enterprise Institute, Zack Cooper, said that at the ASEAN-US meeting on 12-13 May 2022 in Washington, DC, the US did not build a strong enough commitment to ASEAN.
"Especially in trade and investment," he told the Financial Times on Friday (13/5).
BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo emphasized strengthening cooperation in anticipating possible pandemics in the future. This was conveyed during a working lunch by the leaders of ASEAN countries with the Vice President of the United States (US) Kamala Harris, Friday (13/5/2022) at the US Department of State, Washington DC.
When meeting with ASEAN leaders on Thursday, US President Joe Biden did not reveal any new breakthroughs. In addition, there has also been no announcement of economic cooperation that, as revealed by a number of Southeast Asian and US research institutions, ASEAN is very much looking forward to.
Biden only announced a US$150 million aid package for ASEAN. That value is far below the aid package for Ukraine. In the period from 24 February to 30 April, 2022, Washington committed more than $10 billion and is seeking an additional $40 billion for Ukraine.
The value of the aid package for ASEAN announced by Biden was also far below the aid package promised by Beijing. To help ASEAN, China pledged $1.5 billion in aid to restore the economy and continue infrastructure development.
The US will use the Washington meeting to demonstrate commitment to the region.
Prior to the meeting in Washington, US officials said the US would try to offer ASEAN an alternative to relying on China. The US will use the Washington meeting to demonstrate commitment to the region.
Of the $150 million aid package that Biden announced, $60 million will be used for cooperating with the Coast Guard. The funds, among other allocations, will be used for courses for 30 ASEAN officers per year at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) researcher Greg Poling noted that Washington spent an average of $85 million per year on similar programs in 2016-2021. He also mentioned that Biden's total bid was very small and it got smaller when you consider the funds being spread across many programs.
"This shows the challenge of the [Biden] administration to compete against China when Beijing can mobilize billions of US dollars and force [Chinese] state-owned enterprises to invest for political purposes," he said.
The leader of the ASEAN-China Business Council, Xu Ningning, said the Washington meeting was clearly trying to draw ASEAN closer to the US. However, according to him, ASEAN-China economic relations will not be disturbed. This cannot be separated from the fact that the ASEAN-China trade volume is almost three times that of the ASEAN-US trade volume. In 2021, the trade value between ASEAN and China will reach $878.2 billion and ASEAN was China's largest trading partner in 2020. On the other hand, the ASEAN-US trade value did not reach $400 billion.
In addition, the ASEAN-China economic relationship is also only motivated by the economy. Meanwhile, the US tends to bring sociopolitical issues into economic relations. (AFP/REUTERS)
