13-7-2023 (JAKARTA) Southeast Asian foreign ministers, alongside their Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean counterparts, will gather on Thursday for ASEAN-plus-three talks, where economic cooperation and the contentious South China Sea issue will dominate discussions.
Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi will represent China at the talks in place of Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who withdrew due to “health reasons,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean counterpart Park Jin will also be in attendance.
Established after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the ASEAN-plus-three grouping aims to strengthen economic ties between Southeast Asian nations and East Asian powers.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members participating in the talks include Indonesia, the current chair, as well as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Experts anticipate that the South China Sea issue will be a top priority, as China asserts near-complete control over the strategically significant waterway, while several ASEAN members accuse Beijing of infringing upon their overlapping territorial claims.
“In light of recent tensions in the area, the South China Sea will likely be one of the topics discussed during the ASEAN-plus-three meeting,” stated Aleksius Jemadu, a professor at Pelita Harapan University in Jakarta.
The South China Sea serves as a vital shipping route and plays a crucial role in the global supply chains of Tokyo and Seoul.
Both Western and Asian powers have grown concerned about China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the region. Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled territory, and its clashes with ships from other nations have further fueled tensions.
The ongoing crisis in coup-plagued Myanmar will also be addressed during the talks, given its divisive nature among ASEAN members. Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert at Padjadjaran University, highlighted the interests of Japan and South Korea in preventing Myanmar from aligning too closely with China.
Recent meetings within the group have explored avenues for enhanced cooperation in health and economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of making the Asia-Pacific region a major driver of global economic growth.
Alongside the ASEAN-plus-three talks on Thursday, ASEAN ministerial meetings will be held with countries participating in the upcoming 18-nation East Asia Summit on Friday. Participants include India, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Thursday morning and will engage with ASEAN members the following day.
