Jokowi Highlights Mutual Trust for ASEAN - China Relations

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi talked about the importance of mutual trust as he opened the ASEAN - China Summit here on Wednesday, September 6, amid escalating concerns over the South China Sea.

Jokowi did not directly mention the South China Sea or China's new map. He stressed the need for ASEAN and China to realize concrete cooperation that is mutually profitable. The Beijing delegation was led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

“This can only be done if we have trust in each other, which of course needs to be developed and maintained by all parties,” Jokowi said at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday.

Last week, China released the China Standard Map Edition 2023, claiming about 90% of the South China Sea with the infamous U-shaped line.

Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam protested China's new map. Beijing told all parties to refrain from overinterpreting the map.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in his speech at the ASEAN Summit on Tuesday, September 5, that the issues must be addressed in a peaceful and rational manner through dialogue and consultation in accordance with the universally recognized principle of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas or UNCLOS.

ASEAN has yet to issue a statement reflecting its position on China’s new map. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Director for ASEAN Cooperation, Sidharto Suryodipuro, claimed there was no specific agenda to discuss the issue.

PM Li Qiang also did not mention the new map and the South China Sea in his speech but underlined the good cooperation between ASEAN and China.

“No matter how the international situation evolves, China and ASEAN have maintained close exchanges and communication, respecting each other’s development path,” he said.

Indonesia as ASEAN chair this year has consistently encouraged ASEAN to speed up the process of negotiating a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with China. The guidelines summarized ASEAN-China's aspirations to finalize the COC in 3 years or less, through intensive discussion of pending issues.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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