ASEAN’s principles are under pressure as geopolitical competition intensifies. How can the bloc navigate this tightrope? Faye Kwan reports from the 38th Asia Pacific Roundtable.
00:00As geopolitical competition intensifies, countries across the Asia-Pacific are navigating how to minimise being caught in the middle.
00:08For ASEAN, principles of consensus and non-interference are increasingly tested amid shifting power dynamics.
00:16Astroawani correspondent Feik Wan brings us more from the 38th Asia-Pacific Roundtable.
00:51Thank you for having me.
00:52Pleasure having you on.
00:53Now, firstly, when we speak about within the ASEAN context, consensus and non-interference is really the key principles to the bloc.
01:01But these principles themselves are also sometimes seen as the roadblocks when responding to crisis.
01:07So now in line with this year's APR's theme of recalibrating Asia's frontiers, what do you think?
01:13How can mechanisms like Track 2 diplomacy and the APR itself help ASEAN respond more effectively without compromising those values?
01:22Yeah, well, it's a very great question.
01:23The thing that we got to figure out, first of all, when we talk about Track 2 diplomacy, this is where the ASEAN as well as the Asia-Pacific Roundtable comes into the picture, is that first we provide the alternative pathways in terms of giving the avenue for the articulation of views which may not be seen to be suitable or appropriate at the formal level.
01:49What I mean by that is that in order to foster creative innovation in thinking, new ideas, policy branding, this is where the Track 2 diplomacy, in this case the Asia-Pacific Roundtable, gives the forum for practitioners and experts to be able to voice out of the box and away from the confines of a formal ASEAN discourse.
02:13So that's quite crucial.
02:15Secondly, you're looking at the issue about, in relation particularly to getting out of the constraints of views which may be tied, say, to the government.
02:28So each representative or player within the think tanks that comprise and come forward to participate in the Asia-Pacific Roundtable are entitled to express their own views.
02:40Even in the case of ISIS Malaysia, even though formally we report to the government in the sense of the structure, we are autonomous in being able to express and articulate our own position vis-à-vis what we see would be the best thing that could happen for ASEAN.
02:56That is the point that I would like to make across.
02:59And finally, also you have to bear in mind that within ASEAN itself, there are structural limitations, both in terms of size and both in terms of the way things go about.
03:11Here, APR, Track 2 diplomacy discourses allow for a more vibrant discourse without having to worry about what the official position is.
03:21I think that's up to that.
03:22And not having to worry about walking that tightrope between global powers.
03:27But when we look at Asia-Pacific, the region itself is a large, very strategically located and economically significant region.
03:36And especially in today's increasingly polarized world, what's going on with U.S.-China tensions, how important is it then for this region to kind of lead in its own multilateral efforts and strengthen self-reliance rather than depending on those major powers?
03:51Well, we have to accept when we talk about this region, if you're referring to the Asia-Pacific, the major powers themselves are a constituent part of this.
04:00So it could be a bit misleading to see how we could break away from there.
04:04Having said that, though, within this particular entity, you have huge areas in terms of economic entities.
04:11You have the RCEP, you have the CPTPP, and you have the various formations across.
04:17What happens is that the smaller countries, apart from the major power laborers, are able to articulate themselves in a way as represented by, in this classic case, ASEAN member states itself.
04:29To show that there are specific areas which are germane to ASEAN member states where they can articulate with cohesion and with centrality.
04:40So this itself is a counterpoint against the so-called prevailing powers, all the problems in terms of rivalry and conflict between the, well, we don't have to name the elephants in the room,
04:53that will be causing a certain level of uneasiness if it's separated from the discourse.
04:59I'll give you a classic example in relation to the South China Sea issue.
05:04Are we going to be prescribed by the limitations and, of course, the constraints between these two great powers when ASEAN articulates a specific position?
05:14No.
05:14This is where the ability to be cohesive and the need to conform to ASEAN centrality is key to advancing a cohesive view, and also particularly to articulate both in action and in speech.
05:30All right.
05:30Thank you so much for sharing your insights and taking the time to speak to me, Datuk Profah is.
05:35That's all I have for today.
05:37Stay tuned for more coverage on Estrawani on the 38th Asia Pacific Roundtable.
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