Opinion | Asean found its voice with the Indo-Pacific concept. Now it has to use it or risk losing out

Leaders of the 10-member bloc issued a joint Indo-Pacific vision at the Asean Summit, ensuring it has its own framework independent of major powers

But to navigate the changing regional order, Asean must be proactive about solidifying its centrality, rather than fixating on its traditional preoccupation of ‘regional cooperation’

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Asean leaders pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the Asean Summit. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 2:33pm, 24 Jun 2019Updated: 3:35pm, 24 Jun 2019

Asean has finally found its voice after many years of silence, issuing its own vision for the Indo-Pacific region. On Sunday, at the close of the 34th Asean Summit in Bangkok, leaders from the bloc’s member countries issued the “Asean Outlook for the Indo-Pacific” document. But neither supporters nor detractors of Asean were particularly pleased with the concept.

Australia, India, Japan and the United States have in recent years issued their own proposals for the Indo-Pacific, and Asean was caught on the back foot.

The US, in its ongoing competition with China to maintain its influence in the Asia-Pacific, changed the name of its largest unified military command from the “Pacific Command” to the “Indo-Pacific Command”. It underlined Washington’s commitment to a new strategic vision which identifies a seamless geopolitical space stretching from the Indian to the Pacific oceans.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) the centrepiece of Japan’s Asia policy, focusing on promoting and establishing the rule of law, freedom of navigation and market economy, pursuing economic prosperity and securing peace and stability.

At last year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out six core principles for the Indo-Pacific, while Australia, in a foreign policy white paper the year before, made 74 references to the Indo-Pacific.

However, the four countries’ enthusiasm for a new Indo-Pacific concept has not yet been matched by commitment of resources for implementation.

Asean’s delay in issuing its vision was understandable. None of the concepts outlined by Australia, India, Japan and the US fully addressed the “China factor” – the relationship that each Asean member and the bloc as a whole share with China. Embracing any of the four concepts meant Asean risked being cast as “choosing sides”.