America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy is not only at odds with the regional vision to which ASIAN is committed but it affects the region’s development environment. As a result, ASEAN will steer a middle course to protect its central role.

Amid rising tensions between the United States and China in Asian waters, ASEAN nations, led by Indonesia, are intensifying their efforts to manage and diffuse the military tensions. Initiatives such as the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) and joint naval drills aim to engage both superpowers and promote dialogue. ASEAN states are strengthening their defensive positions while pursuing diplomatic engagement to ensure regional stability.

The recent G7 summit in Hiroshima and the subsequent G20 tourism meeting in Kashmir underscored the stark contrast between the two groups’ rhetoric. While

It’s not in China’s best interests to be trapped in a bilateral tit-for-tat with the United States. We can do better by reaching out constructively to other developed countries. We will win the contest if we can do this.

ASEAN toes a delicate balancing act between China and the United States, and the latest ASEAN Summit demonstrates the complexities involved in steering clear of unnecessary tensions.

Indonesia famously played host to Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s first face-to-face meeting of Biden’s presidency; a milestone in the great power rivalry between East and West. Historically, Indonesia has also been the site of another major international summit - the Bandung Conference which produced a network of “non-aligned” states. Each of these events is a mirror of our modern times as Southeast Asia’s medium-sized powers seek to navigate a contentious climate between the U.S. and China’s competing influences.

This is a highlight moment for ASEAN, with the ASEAN Summit, the G20 Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting coming soon. By hosting these events, ASEAN will be able to demonstrate to the world its strong will and capability to unite the region and provide new impetus for the post pandemic recovery.

China and ASEAN are rapidly becoming a community with a shared future of interdependence. Now at a historical starting point, they are forging new patterns to ensure that their comprehensive strategic partnership makes long-term progress.

As a former U.S. colonial subject, the Philippines has retained close cultural and official ties to Washington. The new Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has shown that he intends to deviate from his predecessor’s distancing from the United States by rebuilding relations with the West while simultaneously drawing closer to Asian nations - including China.

The IPEF attempts to placate those who oppose free trade in the Indo-Pacific region while also constraining China. But China is the biggest trading partner for most IPEF countries, so the attempt to encircle China on trade is tantamount to encircling its own members.