JakartaPost-Nov 14, 2022

In a series of meetings between ASEAN countries and their Indo-Pacific partners on Saturday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continued to advocate for regional peace and stability. Jokowi kicked off the third day of the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, by attending the ASEAN Plus Three summit with representatives from China, Japan and South Korea. “The ASEAN Plus Three summit shielded us from the fallout of the 2008 global financial crisis. Now, we’re being tested with an even bigger crisis, but I believe if we can maintain the same spirit, we can weather this crisis as well,” said Jokowi. He said ASEAN and the three dialogue partners should focus on three main problems: the food crisis, possible economic recession and regional peace and stability. In a later meeting between ASEAN and the United States, Jokowi made the same request to US President Joe Biden, saying that “[the comprehensive strategic partnership] between ASEAN and the US must help bring positive energy to regional peace and stability”. The US and China’s tug-of-war over influence in Southeast Asia remains a key issue for Indonesia and ASEAN in general. “Externally, ASEAN has to navigate the intensifying rivalry between major global powers,” said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Friday. As geopolitical tensions color the ASEAN Summit, Jokowi also raised the issue of food security on Saturday. “We have to avoid a possible food crisis. The ASEAN Plus Three must strengthen the region’s food resilience and improve our emergency rice supply,” the President said. He added that ASEAN and the three dialogue partners must work on developing sustainable rice-producing technology while improving logistics among member nations to ensure stable prices and supply chains. At the ASEAN-India Summit, Jokowi warned about a possible fertilizer shortage, which could negatively impact more than 2 billion people around the world. Read more at:

https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/11/14/jokowi-pushes-for-regional-peace-stability-in-meetings-with-asean-partners.html