Indonesia’s Indo-Pacific vision is a call for Asean to stick together instead of picking sides
- The 10-member bloc is discussing a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, as big powers offer competing ideas for their engagement in the region
- Indonesia’s proposal isn’t aimed at changing Washington or Beijing’s behaviour, but it promotes an alternative regional order that can accommodate all interests, even if problems among countries remain.
Asean is having ongoing discussions on its vision for the Indo-Pacific, as the world’s two largest economies offer opposing ideas for their engagement in the region.
Leaders of the 10-member bloc want cooperation to be governed by openness, transparency and inclusivity, while maintaining a rules-based approach that highlights the centrality of the association itself.
Indonesia has been leading the push for Asean to declare its vision for the Indo-Pacific. A joint statement would be ready by next year, according to an announcement made by Indonesia’s foreign ministry at the end of the East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 15.
Jakarta’s proposal was unveiled at a gathering of Asean foreign ministers in January and is largely based on ideas laid out by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi earlier this year.
It wants an Indo-Pacific “regional architecture” similar to Asean’s “ecosystem of peace, stability, and prosperity”, which would draw on Asean-led mechanisms and be based on the principles of inclusion, confidence building and international law.
These ideas reverberate through the “Indo-Pacific Outlook” concept paper, drafted by Indonesia and circulated to other member states for further input. The revised draft spotlights the centrality of Asean and calls for existing mechanisms in the evolving regional architecture to be strengthened.