Don McLain GillandMark S. Cogan

Opinion | Asean takes small steps towards solidarity, even if they may not come to much

Attempts to overcome the grouping’s internal divisions to move on two critical issues – the South China Sea disputes and engagement with Myanmar – are a positive development, even if the impact may be limited for now

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The seat reserved for Myanmar is empty during the retreat session of the 43rd Asean summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 5. Southeast Asian countries have taken steps to nudge Myanmar towards compliance with the bloc’s peace plan, but they are likely to prove too small to make a significant impact. Photo: Reuters

Don McLain GillandMark S. Cogan

Published: 6:15am, 12 Sep 2023

Last week’s Asean summit in Jakarta came at a time when the geopolitical environment in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific continues to worsen with the growing polarisation of power. Aside from the challenges to its centrality vis-à-vis the external environment, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations faces impediments to its centrality from within, amid its members’ diverging interests.

In this context, there are two major sticking points: the ongoing South China Sea dispute and how to engage with Myanmar.

Asean remains divided in its approach to addressing the South China Sea issue, particularly due to China’s territorial ambitions and militarisation of the disputed maritime territory.

While the chairman’s statement of the summit highlighted the need to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and improve the environment for negotiating a code of conduct on the South China Sea, there remains significant gaps in Asean’s ability to forge a common operational approach towards maritime security in the disputed territory.

While member countries like the Philippines are overtly supportive of the need to uphold the rules-based order and prevent hegemonic tendencies from spilling over into the South China Sea, other members might perceive threats differently, due to geography, domestic constraints and external pressure.

In fact, maritime security is highly controversial for Asean, as evidenced by previous failures to agree on the issue in 2012 and 2016. As Asean chair, Indonesia decided to shift the location of this year’s Asean joint maritime drills away from the South China Sea – possibly a reflection of some members’ wariness.