Asean must not be forced to pick sides, Indonesia says during visit by China’s Qin Gang

Indonesia, as Asean chair this year, will speed up talks on a South China Sea code of conduct between the bloc’s members and Beijing

China will import more Indonesian commodities and agriculture products, and deepen cooperation in green development, digital economy, healthcare

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Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang delivered remarks at a joint press conference during Qin’s two-day visit. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:16pm, 22 Feb 2023

Indonesia on Wednesday reiterated that Asean countries should not become a proxy for any power and that it will try to expedite the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) during its chairmanship of the regional grouping this year.

The remarks were delivered by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during a joint press conference with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, who is on a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation, his first trip to the region after he was appointed to the post in December.

“Asean should not become a proxy for any power,” Retno said. “Indonesia and Asean have a strong interest in Southeast Asia remaining a peaceful and stable region and making it a centre of economic growth.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang also visited President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace on February 22. Photo: via AP

In Jakarta, Qin Gang chaired the fourth iteration of both nations’ Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), which was last held in Beijing in 2018.

On Wednesday morning, Qin also visited President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, where the president “conveyed the importance of Indonesia and China being the engine of peace and stability in the region, as economic development cannot be carried out without peace and stability”, according to a statement from the palace.

On his side, Qin said that China supported Asean’s “strategic independence and Asean centrality”.

“A new Cold War or major country rivalry should not take place in our region, the Asia-Pacific. Regional countries should not be forced to pick sides,” he said during the joint news briefing.