From left to right, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Cambodia鈥檚 Prime Minister Hun Manet, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walk to attend the East Asia Summit at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Achmad Ibrahim/Pool via REUTERS)
JAKARTA聽 鈥� Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on world leaders on Thursday to as they met at a Southeast Asian-hosted security and trade summit against a backdrop of big-power rivalries.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov joined the summit in the Indonesian capital led by the , along with leaders of other partner countries.
Tensions have accompanied the talks on issues from trade and technology, to China鈥檚 increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, the Myanmar junta鈥檚 refusal to cooperate with ASEAN on a peace plan, the war in Ukraine, and suspicion that North Korea plans to supply weapons to Russia.
Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries have warned this week of 鈥渄estructive鈥� rivalries between major powers, a reference to U.S.-China tensions that they say puts them in danger.
鈥淲e all have a responsibility to not create new conflict, new tension, new war and at the same time we also have a responsibility to reduce tensions,鈥� Widodo, as chair of the 10-member ASEAN bloc this year, said at the beginning of the East Asia Summit.
Cooperation and multilateralism risked being replaced by 鈥渢he rule of the strong鈥�.
鈥淭he world will be destroyed if conflicts and tensions in one place are taken to another place,鈥� he said in closing the summit.
On Wednesday, China鈥檚 Li warned against starting a 鈥渘ew Cold War鈥� and warned countries against taking sides in any conflict.
Harris, attending in place of President Joe Biden, reiterated her country鈥檚 鈥渆nduring commitment鈥� to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
A White House official said earlier the U.S. shared interests with ASEAN in 鈥渦pholding the rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, in the face of China鈥檚 unlawful maritime claims and provocative actions鈥�.
Harris underscored U.S. opposition to 鈥渦nilateral changes to the status quo in the South China Sea and East China Sea鈥� in meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, a White House spokesperson said. China and Japan both claim a tiny group of islands in the East China Sea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, another staunch U.S. ally, said any attempts to change the status quo by force in the South China Sea could not be tolerated.
China鈥檚 Li and Japan鈥檚 Kishida met briefly on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday and discussed Japan鈥檚 release into the sea of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
An infuriated China has banned on all aquatic imports from Japan in response.
MYANMAR CRISIS
ASEAN leaders are also grappling with a protracted conflict in Myanmar, a member of their grouping beset by violence since the military ousted a government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.
During Thursday鈥檚 East Asia Forum, concerns were raised about Suu Kyi鈥檚 鈥渢reatment, status and health and continued, unacceptable detention鈥�, according to U.S. state department official Daniel Kritenbrink.
The 78-year-old Nobel laureate, who is serving 27 years in detention, is ailing and the junta has denied requests for an external physician to see her.
ASEAN has tried unsuccessfully to push for peace in Myanmar leading to questions about the influence of their politically diverse group.
Earlier in the week, ASEAN leaders called on the country鈥檚 armed forces 鈥渋n particular鈥� to end hostilities. Myanmar said the bloc should stick to its principle of not interfering in each other鈥檚 affairs.
U.N. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres said Myanmar was facing a 鈥渨orsening political, humanitarian, and human rights鈥� situation, and repeated calls for the junta to release all political prisoners.