Friday, March 29, 2024 | 20:01 WIB

Implications for ASEAN of a closer association between China and Russia

Jakarta, IO – As if all things were planned previously, the visit of China’s President Xi Jinping to Moscow and meeting with his counterpart the Russian President’s Vladimir Putin was recently followed by the visit of the US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to Canada, visiting PM Justin Trudeau and First Lady Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. 

Both Presidents Xi and Putin stated that the two countries’ bilateral relations have never been better. Meanwhile, even without their claim we could just follow from the television broadcast that President Joe Biden delivered a rousing speech in the Canadian Parliament that drew a rousing ovation many times, narrating the long historical relationship between Canada and the US, based on their similar enthusiasm for their fight for human rights, upholding democratic principles, economic and social justice, and above all sharing a similar high norm of value. Thumbs up for both President Biden and PM Trudeau. 

Meanwhile, different incidents, such as the bomb attack on US base in Syria that killed a US contractor and wounded others, and the US drone counter-attack, only added complications to the development of these two sides, China-Russia, added by Iran and Syria, and the US and its Western Allies. 

IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR REGION 

For those of us in East Asia and Southeast East Asia, ASEAN to be more precise, the recent development of those associations could only add problems to our regional effort to reduce tensions and maintain stability. ASEAN, via the mechanism of discussions with dialogue partners, which has been working despite its slow result in maintaining global stability, including that between the superpowers, must face new challenges with these developments. For this year it is on the shoulders of Indonesia, who holds current Chairmanship of the Association, to initiate any new discussion. 

SOCIAL CULTURE

INFRAME

LATEST ARTICLE

POPULAR