ASEAN risks losing relevance if it remains passive, avoids taking positions on issues: PM Lee
Tensions between the US and China have threatened to strike an overbearing influence on the ASEAN bloc, while in its own backyard, member states have had different approaches to resolving the Myanmar crisis.
JAKARTA: In a world fraught with geopolitical uncertainty, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must be proactive and not avoid taking collective positions on issues, or it could risk losing its relevance, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday (Sep 5).
Tensions between the United States and China - both of which have strong links with ASEAN economies - have threatened to strike an overbearing influence on the bloc, while in its own backyard, ASEAN members have had different approaches to resolving the Myanmar crisis.
Describing the present situation as one of “great geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainty”, Mr Lee said how the 10-member grouping responds will determine whether its centrality still holds in the years ahead.
Speaking during a retreat session with fellow leaders at the ASEAN Summit, he outlined how ASEAN centrality must be manifested consistently in its positions, actions and policies and be based on a “unity of purpose and action”.
“We have to be united in dealing with difficult issues, whether external or internal, for example the situation in Myanmar,” said Mr Lee.
“We will each have our own national interests and positions on the geopolitical challenges, but we still have to work towards common landing points. And this inevitably will involve all of us with some give and take.”
As global superpowers de-couple their economies and become more assertive, the bloc’s passive, consensus-based “ASEAN Way” that is rooted in the principle of non-interference cooperation through lengthy dialogue has sometimes been criticised as ineffective.
Mr Lee said ASEAN has done well in ensuring its external partners engage the grouping on its terms and for the benefits and value it brings, which is why there needs to be a doubling down of efforts at economic integration, especially in areas of green and digital economies.
But he added that even as the grouping steps up external engagement in an open and inclusive way, it has to accept that “geopolitical rivalry will play out in our region, as is happening elsewhere in the world; we may not wish it but we have to accept it”.
“The solution is not to remain passive and avoid taking positions on all issues. Otherwise, ASEAN will lose its relevance. We have to be prepared to engage all sides actively, in mutually beneficial ways,” he said.
INDO-PACIFIC AND MYANMAR
Mr Lee pointed to the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) as one platform of doing so, noting that it has been supported by several ASEAN dialogue partners.
The AOIP views the Indo-Pacific as a region of dialogue and cooperation instead of rivalry, with ASEAN playing the role of an “honest broker” within this strategic environment of competing interests.
Mr Lee said the AOIP is omnidirectional and inclusive, and provides multiple opportunities for ASEAN’s partners to engage the Indo-Pacific region.
“We should build on these to launch tangible cooperation projects under the AOIP’s priority areas,” he said.
As for the Myanmar crisis, Mr Lee said ASEAN’s centrality in this issue needs to be built on unity of purpose and action.
In June, Thailand planned informal talks with the foreign minister of Myanmar's junta, despite ASEAN barring Myanmar's generals from senior-level ASEAN meetings for failing to honour an agreement called the Five-Point Consensus.
Most ASEAN members decided not to attend these talks, and the bloc’s foreign ministers later stressed that the consensus remains the main peace plan for resolving the Myanmar crisis.
It involves immediately halting violence and starting talks with all stakeholders, including junta opponents linked to the ousted civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mr Lee said Singapore welcomes a draft leaders’ review and decision on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, which establishes an informal consultation mechanism comprising the previous, current, and future ASEAN Chairs to engage all Myanmar stakeholders.
“And it settles the issue of future ASEAN Chairmanships, particularly for the year 2026, allowing ASEAN to continue its important agenda, notwithstanding the troubled situation in Myanmar,” he added.
“This is the way, by remaining united on key regional issues, and giving major powers a meaningful stake in our region, that ASEAN can ensure its continued relevance and centrality to our peoples.
