China urges Asean to take regional lead as US ‘tries to provoke arms race’

Chinese foreign minister says American Indo-Pacific strategy is not in the interest of East Asia
Meeting with Indonesian coordinator comes ahead of US-Asean summit next week

Asean

Teddy Ng

Published: 8:00pm, 7 May 2022

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China has urged Asean to take the lead in regional development and accused the US of trying to provoke an arms race in the Asia-Pacific.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the assessment in a video call with Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinator for cooperation with China, on Friday, ahead of a US-Asean summit next week.

“The US Indo-Pacific strategy goes against the trend of the times and does not serve the common and long-term interests of countries in East Asia,” Wang said, according to a foreign ministry statement.

He also said the region faced dangers from the “Five Eyes” alliance, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Aukus security alliance under which the US and Britain would help Australia acquire a nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

“This is to provoke an arms race in the region,” Wang said.

“China believes that no matter whether it involves regional cooperation over the Pacific or Indian Ocean, the focus should be on East Asia, and the engine should be Asean.

“No matter what regional strategy is proposed, the aim should be mutual benefit and win-win, not a zero-sum game.”

He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had to play a central role in cooperation to ensure regional stability.

Wang also said China supported Indonesia in hosting the Group of 20 summit in October. Both sides also agreed to work together on the Covid-19 pandemic, boost political and economic cooperation, and encourage people-to-people exchanges and maritime cooperation, the ministry statement said.

“Both China and Indonesia are representatives of emerging economies,” Wang said.

“China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Indonesia to jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and stability and the legitimate rights of countries in the region to seek development and revitalisation.”

Up to eight Asean leaders are expected to head to Washington next week for a summit with US President Joe Biden.

It will be the first Asean summit hosted in Washington and the first trip to the White House for Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia, which holds the rotating Asean chair.

Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia since 1985 and faced frequent American criticism for suppressing dissent and jailing opponents.

Among those not attending will be Myanmar’s leader, who has been excluded over a coup last year, and the president of the Philippines, which will be in transition after an election.

The Philippines is one of several Asean nations locked in maritime disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea.

Countries in the region are concerned about China’s military build-up in the disputed waters and some are stepping up defence ties with the United States.

But they are also worried about getting caught in the China-US rivalry.

On Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said China remained a “pacing challenge” for the US, and the US had allotted US$6 billion to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a Defence Department fund to combat China’s influence in the region.

“In keeping with our new National Defence Strategy, we are going to enhance our force posture, infrastructure, presence and readiness in the Indo-Pacific – including the missile defence of Guam,” he told the US Senate Appropriations Committee.

The developments are of increasing concern for Beijing.

In a phone call with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in March, Wang said Beijing would continue to support Asean to play a central role in regional security, and that small countries should not be used as tools for big power confrontation.