US Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese Premier Li Qiang are set to meet with leaders at Thursday’s summit as they seek to pitch Southeast Asia on competing visions for global security amid brewing regional tensions.
(Bloomberg) — US Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese Premier Li Qiang are set to meet with leaders at Thursday’s summit as they seek to pitch Southeast Asia on competing visions for global security amid brewing regional tensions.
The two donned a traditional Indonesian garment known as batik and exchanged pleasantries with Asian heads of state over dinner in Jakarta on Wednesday after Li earlier in the day urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to oppose moves that could lead to a “new Cold War.”
Observers will be watching whether the Chinese premier will meet on the sidelines with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida or South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who are also in attendance.
Harris, meanwhile, sought to demonstrate America’s enduring commitment to the region after the heads of the 10-nation bloc expressed disappointment over the absence of President Joe Biden.
While the region practices a collective non-alignment in the broader geopolitical competition between the US and China, Asean leaders remain anxious about the prospect of a regional conflict over Taiwan or in the South China Sea, while also being under pressure to address the rising violence in Myanmar.
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Australian PM Confirms Visit to China This Year (9:56 a.m.)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he will visit China this year after a meeting with Li on the sidelines of Asean. Albanese said his trip would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first visit by an Australian prime minister in November 1973, hinting at a similar date for this year’s trip.
Albanese said he raised issues of importance to Australia, including remaining trade impediments, consular cases and human rights. “We discussed and shared perspectives on regional and international security issues,” he added.
Jokowi Tells Modi Indian Ocean Shouldn’t Be a Sea of Confrontation (9:18 a.m.)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo sought to “optimize” collaboration during the Asean-India Summit, urging Indian President Narendra Modi to support a vision for a blue economy.
“We must be able to make the ocean a sea of cooperation, not a sea of confrontation that must continue to maintain stability,” the leader known as Jokowi said, underscoring the potential of the Indian Ocean that connects 33 countries, 2.9 billion people, and come 2025, one-fifth of the world’s GDP.
In turn, Modi said India fully supports Asean’s centrality as the region plays an important role in global development. “Progress in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific and amplifying the voice of the global south is in our common interest,” Modi said, noting the importance of a rules based post-Covid world order.
Harris Meets Marcos, Touts ‘Ironclad’ Ties (6:20 p.m.)
Harris highlighted America’s “ironclad” alliance with the Philippines during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the margins of the summit. The two leaders discussed maritime security in the South China Sea, and opportunities to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, “including alongside like-minded partners,” according to a White House statement.
The Philippines has not only grown close with the US under Marcos’s leadership, but has also been seen firming up relationships with Washington’s other allies, namely Japan and Australia, in a bid to strengthen its defense posture in the region.
–With assistance from Isabel Reynolds, Chandra Asmara, Faris Mokhtar and Niluksi Koswanage.
(Updates with Albanese remarks after meeting with Li.)
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