The US needs a stronger economic agenda for the Indo-Pacific region, as opposed to its current focus on security issues, according to Indonesia’s foreign minister. Retno Marsudi, speaking on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar, said the 10 member states of Asean did not want to be forced into taking sides in the rivalry between the US and China, but still hoped the competition between the two powers would lead to more economic benefits for the region. “Competition is inevitable [and] healthy competition is OK. But if it becomes rivalry and others are forced to choose sides, that makes things different,” she said. Marsudi added that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – representing more than 600 million people – had the capacity to try to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the face of the rivalry between the two giants. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted US attention to Europe, Washington’s latest Indo-Pacific strategy – issued on February 11, just before the Ukrainian war – reiterated its intention of containing China’s growing economic influence and military in Asia. But the document’s lack of a strong economic agenda was a concern, and people in developing countries would suffer more from the rising prices of energy and food caused by the war in Ukraine, Marsudi said. Instead, the US strategy for the Indo-Pacific relies on strengthening alliances and partnerships with other countries and regional groups, including Asean and its individual member states, to contain China’s growing economic influence and military power. Asean should ditch ‘younger brother’ mentality, experts tell SCMP conference But Marsudi said the US needed to balance its security approach with economic moves. “When you talk about the Indo-Pacific, what is on our mind usually is about security concerns,” she said. “But when you talk to Southeast Asian nations, what we want, what the people want is prosperity, not only security … our people will ask what is the meaning of developing the concept if it doesn’t bring economic benefits for the people.” The US walked away from its attempt to lead a free-trade pact in the region which excluded China when it withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017 under former president Donald Trump. Instead, the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – which came into effect on January 1 – is now the largest trading bloc in the world. World’s largest free trade deal is under way, but what is RCEP? On the security front, the US has used China’s more assertive behaviour in the South China Sea in its appeal for closer ties with Asean. Four of Asean’s member states – the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – have territorial disputes with China in the resource-rich waters. Indonesia also has occasional disagreements with China over fishing rights. Malaysian deputy foreign minister Dato’ Kamarudin Jaffar told the Doha Forum a more consolidated Asean was needed to counter the superpower rivalry. “We should be more forceful together to make our disagreement to any violations of our territorial integrity being violated again and again, we have to keep doing this,” he said. “It seems to be the way forward together in terms of our group against outside groups in our part of the world.”