Day: October 26, 2021

 

At the 24^th ASEAN-China Summit, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam emphasizes the need for ASEAN and China to continue to uphold multilateralism and international law, including the U.N. Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS. In the titah, His Majesty expresses appreciation for China’s donations of vaccines and medical supplies to ASEAN Member States, including Brunei Darussalam. The Monarch highlights that China has continued to play a crucial role in the long-term development of the region, which is evident through cooperation in various areas, ranging from economic, people-to-people exchanges, and recently, pandemic response. In this regard, His Majesty looks forward to the Special Summit to Commemorate 30 Years of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations in November 2021, which will be a good opportunity to reflect on the ASEAN-China partnership for the last 30 years, and chart the way to a new level of relations that will benefit the people and region.

 

Meanwhile, His Excellency Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China in his statement, emphasised China’s commitment to multilateralism, anti-COVID cooperation, promotion of economic growth and business cooperation as well as to uphold regional architectures centered around ASEAN. ASEAN stands as a priority of China’s diplomacy in ASEAN integration and centrality. His Excellency Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN delivered the ASEAN Common Statement on ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, which underscored the support for maintaining ASEAN centrality and unity in the evolving regional architecture as well as the importance of multilateralism, regionalism and international law in promoting regional peace and prosperity.

 

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

ASEAN and China welcomed positive progress in several cooperation areas such as combatting transnational crime; trade and economy; and education. His Excellency also acknowledged China’s proposal to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN. At the Summit, the leaders appreciated China’s generous contributions towards COVID-19 recovery including the provision of vaccines, medical supplies and technical expertise.

 

ASEAN and China are each other’s largest trading partners and to this end, Leaders hoped to upgrade the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, in efforts to adhere to the multilateral trading system. At the end of the Summit, the Joint Statement on Cooperation in Support of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework; and Joint Statement on Enhancing Green and Sustainable Development Cooperation were adopted.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

At the 39th ASEAN Summit, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in a titah express belief that it is important to reflect on developments within the region, while ASEAN should also uphold its integrity and credibility. The situation in Myanmar has captured global attention this year. To this end, His Majesty reaffirms that Myanmar is a part of the ASEAN family and, with respect to the principle of non-interference, it is important to give Myanmar space to return to normalcy. His Majesty expresses the hope that Myanmar fully implements the Five-Point Consensus in a timely manner to help the country regain the confidence of the regional and international community.

 

In the titah, the Monarch highlights ASEAN’s significant progress in strengthening cooperation with external partners, noting the expansion of work to collectively address COVID-19 and prepare for the future. ASEAN-led processes continue to be the best way for ASEAN to effectively address issues of common concern. His Majesty also welcomes the United Kingdom as the first new Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in over two decades. The Monarch then highlights the need for ASEAN to uphold an open, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture, with ASEAN at its centre.

 

At the Summit, the leaders underscored that, in light of geopolitical tensions and conflicts between major powers, ASEAN centrality and unity are especially vital when engaging with external partners on issues such as the Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, Korean Peninsula as well as new security agreements. Leaders also urged for the mediation of the situation in Myanmar to uphold ASEAN’s credibility and preserve regional peace, security and stability. At the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits, the Chairman’s Statement of the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits was issued and adopted by ASEAN Leaders.

 

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday rebooted his country’s lapsed relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by attending the annual meeting of the 10-member bloc virtually and announcing plans to provide up to $102 million to expand the U.S. strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Our partnership is essential in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, which has been the foundation of our shared security and prosperity for many decades,” Biden said in his opening remarks delivered from the White House as leaders of nine of the 10 nations listened. “And the United States strongly supports the ASEAN outlook and the Indo-Pacific — on the Indo-Pacific and the rules-based regional order.”

The last U.S. president to attend an ASEAN-U.S. meeting was in 2017 when Donald Trump attended in Manila.

Biden underscored the importance of ASEAN and called the relationship a “linchpin for maintaining the resilience, the prosperity, and security of our shared region.”

The White House said the new funding will go toward health, climate, economic and education programs.

Included in the package is $40 million that will go to an initiative to help address the current COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen ASEAN’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Another $20.5 million will finance climate mitigation, and up to $20 million will support cooperation on trade and innovation. Another $17.5 million is earmarked for education projects, and $4 million to promote gender equality and equity.

US-China rivalry

The summit is the first time in four years that an American president participated at the top level with an economically dynamic regional bloc seen as key to countering an increasingly assertive China.

Marc Mealy, senior vice president for policy at the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, said he welcomes Biden’s re-engagement. “We’re talking about a region that by 2030 is going to be one of the largest regional economies in the world,” he said.

While the United States is seen as a security guarantor against rising Chinese ambition in the region, Washington is lagging behind Beijing in terms of economic ties. According to ASEAN data, the bloc became China’s largest trading partner in 2020.

ASEAN and China are also part of the world’s biggest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The U.S. is not part of the deal, which covers nearly 30% of the global economy.

The U.S. is also left out of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade agreement formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The 2016 TPP was promoted by former president Barack Obama but Trump withdrew from it in 2017.

“On several issues, whether it’s trade or climate, the United States plays an important role in setting the table, and then sometimes leaves the table,” said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Wilson Center’s Asia program.

He pointed out that geographically, Washington is at a disadvantage and will need to work harder to win ASEAN support at the same time that regional players, including China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, are eager to step in.

“When you raise the bar, and then you subsequently walk away, there’s a double disadvantage,” Parameswaran said.

In recent years, the U.S.-China rivalry in Southeast Asia has intensified significantly. The Biden administration is continuing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy in the region, which singles out Beijing for pursuing regional hegemony.

But most members of ASEAN refuse a binary choice between the U.S. and China and underscore the need to cooperate with both, while ensuring freedom of navigation, including in the Taiwan Straits.

“What’s the benefit for conflict happening in that area? Who gets the benefit?” Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan said to VOA. “Nobody. COVID is enough (to) create the problem,” he said.

Where’s Myanmar?

Although Myanmar did not attend the ASEAN meeting, U.S. officials said the delicate state of that nation was part of discussions. In February, the military deposed the elected government and jailed its leader amid allegations of electoral fraud in last November’s elections.

In April, participants agreed on a five-point plan that called for an immediate end to violence and sent a special ASEAN envoy to the country, formerly known as Burma.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the bloc, with the help of the U.S., is trying to reach a regional solution. On Monday, he said he met virtually with officials from Myanmar’s government-in-exile.

“We discussed broader diplomacy with key countries in the region and those with influence on the military junta, and how the United States could send strong messages to those countries, as well,” he said. “And in fact, just this morning, President Biden has participated in the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, and ASEAN has taken the step of denying a seat at that summit to the junta leader.”

That exclusion, Parameswaran said, was no mere formality.

“I think it’s a significant move,” he said. … In a virtual setting, you literally had a screen where Myanmar was a blank screen while the meeting was going on. And I think this is a very sort of vivid signal from ASEAN. I think the jury remains out on how ASEAN manages this challenge. I mean, the fact remains that when ASEAN admitted Myanmar into the grouping, they were very aware of these challenges, and they decided to keep Myanmar in rather than keeping Myanmar out. So, this is something which ASEAN can’t sort of sweep under the rug and sort of say this is a Myanmar problem. It is a Southeast Asia problem. It is an ASEAN problem.”

What’s next?

Sullivan told VOA that the U.S. will continue to support ASEAN’s five-point plan to bring about a solution.

“We will continue to stay focused on our steadfast support for the people of Burma for a democratic path in Burma,” he said. “And for the protection of the safety, security and human rights of the citizens.”

On to the G-20

In a way, these meetings form a preview for the administration’s vow to conduct “aggressive diplomacy.” What that looks like in practice is likely to come into focus in the coming days, as Biden heads to Rome on Thursday for the meeting of the world’s 20 wealthiest nations, known as the G-20. And from there, to the 26th United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.

“President Biden and key European partners will sit down at these two summits to coordinate policies on Iran, on supply chains, on global infrastructure efforts and so much else,” Sullivan said.

He noted that two of the world’s top leaders who won’t attend the summits in person could affect the outcome.

“Neither China nor Russia will be attending the summit in person at the leader level, largely, it seems, due to COVID-19,” Sullivan said. “The U.S. and Europe will be there. They’ll be there energized and united at both the G-20 and at COP26, driving the agenda, shaping the agenda as it relates to these significant international issues.”

 

 

Source: Voice of America

 

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday morning Chaired the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits which carry the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”, held virtually via video conference from Baitul Mesyuarah, Istana Nurul Iman. The Summits were also attended by other ASEAN Leaders. At the 38th ASEAN Summit, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, as ASEAN Chairman for 2021 in a titah says ASEAN is making efforts to ensure youths will inherit a region that can progress and develop in a sustainable way. In this regard, His Majesty expresses the belief that the circular economy model that ASEAN has developed will enhance efficiency and lay the foundations for green recovery.

 

Furthermore, His Majesty welcomes ASEAN’s work to protect vulnerable groups through the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy to ensure the recovery is also inclusive. His Majesty in the titah states that these initiatives will help strengthen ASEAN’s preparedness and safeguard peoples’ welfare and development and enable sustainable prosperity for all. ASEAN, His Majesty adds, has made good progress in advancing ASEAN Community-building efforts while at the same time, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also emphasised that ASEAN’s unity and collective efforts are vital for the region’s future in a rapidly changing world. His Majesty informs that this year, Brunei Darussalam has emphasised the importance of caring for the people and preparing them for the future.

 

At the beginning of the summit, the Leaders were presented with a progress report by His Excellency Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN Secretary-General which included the ASEAN’s recovery efforts in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through the prioritisation of vaccine security and successful implementation of recovery frameworks, as well as the need to operationalise interconnectivity and digitalisation to spearhead regional recovery. Aside from that, the ASEAN Leaders also commended ASEAN’s collective efforts in the successful development of the ASEAN Post-2025 Community Vision and urged for the continued cooperation with external partners in promoting ASEAN’s regional frameworks. In preparing for future public health emergencies, Leaders emphasised the importance of affordable, accessible and equitable distribution of vaccines as well as medical, technical and financial support across the region. ASEAN should also leverage on opportunities to develop its digital sector to accelerate economic regional recovery.

 

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, opened a three-day regional summit without Myanmar, after the country’s ruling junta refused to send a nonpolitical representative to the meeting in place of its top military leader.

ASEAN ministers decided on October 15 to exclude Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing from the summit. This was considered ASEAN’s biggest rebuke of Myanmar since February 1, when the Myanmar military toppled a civilian government under the de facto leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Instead, the regional bloc invited Chan Aye, permanent secretary in the junta’s foreign ministry, to attend the ASEAN virtual summit as a nonpolitical representative.

Myanmar military government spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun said the invitation “didn’t place Myanmar at the same level” as the other countries and was thus rejected.

“For us, attending a meeting that doesn’t place us at the same level with others is like an assault to the sovereignty of our nation,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “Given that it’s a summit for state leaders, they should invite the state leader.”

Sun Yun, co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, said the junta is sending a signal to ASEAN by choosing not to send anyone.

“The signal is that the junta sees itself as the sole, legitimate ruler of the country and does not accept ASEAN’s attempt to influence its decision,” she told VOA Mandarin via email. The Stimson Center is a Washington think tank.

Myanmar has been one of ASEAN’s most divisive issues since it joined the bloc in 1997 as a military dictatorship criticized by many Western nations for its authoritarian rule. Even after that regime lost power in 2015, in the nation’s first openly contested election in 25 years, Myanmar has tested ASEAN with its treatment of the Rohingya minority and other issues.

The decision not to invite Min Aung Hlaing was an unprecedented move for the 10-member regional bloc, which traditionally does not interfere in its members’ internal affairs.

Current ASEAN chair Brunei issued a statement on October 16, saying that it could not reach a consensus on inviting the general to attend the summit.

The statement said that because of “insufficient progress” in the situation in Myanmar, the bloc wanted “to allow Myanmar the space to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy.”

Neither the ASEAN chair nor the bloc’s secretary-general mentioned Myanmar’s absence during opening remarks at Tuesday’s virtual meeting, according to Al-Jazeera. [[

When the Myanmar military launched its coup in February, it imprisoned dozens of elected government officials including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, triggering large-scale protests across the country.

Since then, the military has used force to suppress the opposition, and the international community has condemned the junta. The junta has described members of the opposition as terrorists.

To mediate the situation in Myanmar, ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar Erywan Yusof requested a meeting on October 10-14 which the junta rejected.

Since the establishment of ASEAN in 1967, it has rarely commented on the internal affairs of its member states. According to Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Indonesia’s representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the strong response to Myanmar stems from the junta’s failure to keep to the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus, which was hammered out at an April 24 meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, attended by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing.

“All member states agreed that the issue in Myanmar is a regional issue, requiring a regional solution and all member states to commit to it. If Myanmar or any country in the region does not commit to a Five-Point Consensus, there should be an implication,” Wahyuningrum told VOA Mandarin via phone.

The plan called for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, constructive dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special ASEAN envoy to facilitate dialogue, the provision of humanitarian assistance, and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar.

In the days following the Jakarta meeting, Myanmar’s junta called the points in the plan “suggestions” that it would consider only when Myanmar “returns to stability” as its priority was to “maintain law and order,” reported Reuters.

Nicholas Coppel, a former Australian ambassador to Myanmar and an adjunct associate professor at Monash University in Melbourne, agreed with Wahyuningrum.

“ASEAN is sending a very clear signal that the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing would not be welcomed at another leaders’ meeting until there is some improvement in regards to implementing the Five-Point Consensus,” he told VOA Mandarin in a phone interview.

Sun, of the Stimson Center, said she doesn’t see any further moves by the regional bloc, which is known as an organization based on consensus.

“While the decision to invite a nonpolitical figure was a major move for ASEAN and shows that ASEAN members are frustrated with Myanmar, I don’t think the organization will take further moves to suspend Myanmar’s membership or expel the country,” she told VOA. “It is laudable, but I don’t expect much more.”

 

 

Source: Voice of America

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 18th ASEAN-India Summit, to be held virtually on October 28, at the invitation of the Sultan of Brunei. He will also attend the 16th East Asia Summit to be held on October 27 virtually.

The ASEAN-India Summit will be attended by Heads of State or Government of the ASEAN countries.

The summit will review the status of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and take stock of progress made in key areas including Covid-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity, and Education & Culture, MEA said.

“Important regional and international developments including post-pandemic economic recovery will also be discussed. ASEAN-India Summits are held annually and provide opportunities for India and ASEAN to engage at the highest level,” the MEA statement said.

 

Source: TREND News Agency