Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held the annual Japan-ASEAN summit on Monday in Manila, at which Abe said Japan and ASEAN should lead the development of a « free and open » international order. « With ASEAN having become a main actor in
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held the annual Japan-ASEAN summit on Monday in Manila, at which Abe said Japan and ASEAN should lead the development of a « free and open » international order.
« With ASEAN having become a main actor in the world, in which democracy, the rule of law and market economies have taken root, it is important to extend ASEAN’s success to the entire Indo-Pacific region to bring out this region’s potential, » Abe said at the outset of the talks, open to the press.
« In the 50 years ahead, we want to lead together with ASEAN, which faces both the Indian and Pacific oceans, the development of a free and open international order based on the rule of law, building on (ASEAN’s) development so far, » Abe said.
While Tokyo has taken pains to stress that the « free and open » message is not specifically aimed at China, the importance placed on coordination with each of the 10 members of ASEAN reflects Abe’s desire to assert a place for Japan in the face of Beijing’s rising regional influence.
At the same time, Abe welcomed the agreement between ASEAN and China to start negotiations toward a code of conduct for their actions in the South China Sea, where some members of the bloc have overlapping territorial claims with Beijing.
« If diplomatic efforts like this can ease tensions, it’s natural for there to be progress in the demilitarization (of the South China Sea, » a Japanese government spokesman quoted Abe as telling the ASEAN leaders.
