ASEAN In Jakarta: Crisis in Myanmar And Group Unity On Negotiating Table

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations seeks to put an end to dangerous controversies within it. As pressure builds on ASEAN to take a clear stand on the war in Ukraine, Indonesian President Joko Widodo says that “the Association must abstract itself from conflicts between East and West.”

The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is being held this year in Jakarta, Indonesia, under the rotating chairmanship of Indonesia. During the three days of work (September 5-7), delegations from 10 member countries will try to bring their positions closer on the crisis in Myanmar and on issues related to the protection of human rights.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened the work of the group and, as a host, suggested that all participants “do not turn the Association into an arena of endless debate, but develop a common development strategy for the long term.”

The words of the Indonesian president refer to the growing political and economic tensions between China and the USA. Some ASEAN member countries are actively developing relations with Beijing, while others, such as the Philippines, have relied on the USA. In addition, some ASEAN countries oppose China’s claims to the main part of the South China Sea.

ASEAN was formed in 1967 at the height of the Cold War. Currently, it includes 10 states: Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. The association covers a geographic area that has 670 million inhabitants and generated nearly $4 billion of wealth in 2022. According to international observers, “this is one of the most dynamically developing regions of the planet.” Economically, ASEAN essentially consists of two main groups, one of which includes countries with a developed or near-developed economic system (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia, and Brunei), and the other group includes three developing countries (Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos).

As the Asia News agency wrote, “to date, the Association has managed to facilitate the movement of goods and people between member countries, to give a boost to the development of economic and financial cooperation, cultural ties, while the contradictions among them become obvious when they move to the level of human rights and freedoms, whether it is a matter of labor migration, the treatment of refugees, or the fight against cross-border human trafficking.”

In Jakarta, special attention will be paid to the crisis in Myanmar that has been plagued by civil conflict for more than two years. On the one hand, ASEAN countries have strongly disagreed regarding the choice of proponents of dialogue between the Burmese parties of the conflict to reach a negotiated solution, while others keep insisting on respecting the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other members.

Immediately after the ASEAN summit, also in Jakarta, the International Forum of Southeast Asia will be held, where China, India, Japan, Russia, and the USA are also invited. Presidents Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Joe Biden have said they will not go to Indonesia. The absence of this “threesome” will increase the concern of ASEAN leaders about the sharp decline in the influence of the Association in the international arena.