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From Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m Patsy Widakuswara, VOA White House Bureau Chief. I traveled here with Vice President Kamala Harris for the ASEAN Summit with leaders of Southeast Asian nations.
It’s part of a series of September visits to Asia by her and President Joe Biden to assert U.S. presence to hedge against China’s growing influence.
In this episode, we’ll also take you to India, where my colleague Anita Powell traveled with Biden for the G20 summit in New Delhi, followed by a historic visit to Hanoi, where the U.S. upgraded bilateral ties, providing Vietnam with additional weight to balance relations with Beijing.
In Jakarta, Harris, reaffirmed that the U.S. is committed to “ASEAN Centrality” – the principle that regional engagements are driven by the ten-country bloc, not by great powers. But there is no question that here too, geopolitical rivalry is front and center.
Amid sharpened geopolitical rivalry between the United States, China and Russia Indonesian President Joko Widodo warned against protracted conflicts. He delivered a forceful call to leaders to ease tensions and underscored the region’s need for stability to continue its decades-long peace and prosperity
I implore all leaders of East Asian countries to make the East Asia Summit forum a place to strengthen collaboration, a place to strengthen cooperation rather than sharpen rivalries.
The summit brings together the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and 8 of its partners.
Leaders of the U.S., China and Russia chose to skip, sending instead their respective representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris, Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Harris and Li held separate meetings with ASEAN, each highlighting the strength of their countries’ ties with the bloc.
The United States has an enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and more broadly to the Indo-Pacific.
Over the past 10 years, China and ASEAN have forged ahead hand in hand and contributed to each other’s successes.
Summit leaders focused on the global impact of the war on Ukraine, the threat of North Korea’s nuclear program, China’s increasing assertiveness over disputed areas in the South China Sea, and ASEAN’s inability to urge the junta in Myanmar to abide by its peace plan.
The conflict is exacerbating existing inequalities and vulnerabilities faced by women and girls, including sexual violence, forced marriage and human trafficking.
EAS ended Harris’ three-day trip to Jakarta. She returns to Washington Thursday as
President Joe Biden heads for the G20 in New Delhi, India.
I was delighted to travel here with the vice president to Jakarta, where I was born and raised.
I may just be the first Indonesian to fly home on Air Force Two. Definitely a proud immigrant moment for me.
Now let’s now go to New Delhi, where my colleague Anita Powell traveled with President Biden for the G20 summit, a meeting of leaders of the twenty largest economies.
India is a rising power, and a key geopolitical balancer between U.S., China and Russia.
The Narendra Modi government is eager to flex the country’s diplomatic muscles, as they host the G20 summit here in New Delhi.
The G20 Summit was held far from Europe but it highlighted divisions over the war in Ukraine.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
I announce the closing of the G20 Summit. I hope the roadmap for one Earth, one family, one future is pleasant.
Russia and China were bnor represented by their leaders, but by Sergei Lavrov and Premier Kee Chung.
Both toughened their stance on the Ukraine war. Their divisions were so sharp that many were skeptical there would even be a summit communique.
U.S. President Joe Biden:
There was sufficient agreement in the room for a just and lasting peace that upholds the principles of the UN Charter and respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
But it was a narrow consensus achieved only after host country India suggested softening the language on Ukraine, highlighting human suffering and impact of the war without naming Russia as the aggressor.
Kyiv criticized the communiqué, but Moscow called it balanced.
Largely thanks to the consolidated position of the global south who's defending its legitimate interests, it was possible to prevent the success of the West's attempt to again Ukraine eyes the entire agenda to the detriment of discussing the urgent problems of developing countries.