Indonesia’s Asean role means hope for South China Sea code, but no deal expected this year: analysts

Seen as a neutral leader within region, the country has brokered solutions to several conflicts, from Cambodian war to Vietnam maritime borders

However, differences over scope of rules make agreement ‘highly unlikely’ during Jakarta’s time at helm of Southeast Asian bloc, observer says

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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (centre) joins hands with her counterparts from across Southeast Asia during Asean meetings in Jakarta on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:00pm, 5 Feb 2023Updated: 3:03pm, 5 Feb 2023

As the new Asean chair, Indonesia could push forward negotiations for a long-awaited code of conduct in the South China Sea, but there is little hope for a quick conclusion as disputes between China and rival claimants in Southeast Asia remain unresolved, regional observers say.

After wrapping up its G20 presidency last year, Indonesia has taken over as this year’s chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), replacing Cambodia.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi hosted her Southeast Asian counterparts for the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Jakarta from Thursday through Saturday. According to Indonesia’s foreign ministry, the agenda included discussion of Indonesia’s priorities for its chairmanship.

The three-day meetings kicked off the country’s chairmanship, raising hopes that Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and most populous country, widely seen as a neutral leader within the bloc, might take the initiative to break regional deadlocks.

These include negotiations with China over a South China Sea code of conduct, which have made little progress since the adoption of draft text in 2018.

In a statement on Saturday, the Asean foreign ministers urged all parties to work together in “a constructive and peaceful manner” on the South China Sea while calling for “new strategies and approaches”, which they said were needed to speed up the negotiation process.

They said they looked forward to an “early conclusion of an effective and substantive code of conduct in the South China Sea consistent with international law”, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Indonesia’s Asean role means hope for South China Sea code, but no deal expected this year: analysts

Seen as a neutral leader within region, the country has brokered solutions to several conflicts, from Cambodian war to Vietnam maritime borders However, differences over scope of rules make agreement ‘highly unlikely’ during Jakarta’s time at helm of Southeast Asian bloc, observer says

Seen as a neutral leader within region, the country has brokered solutions to several conflicts, from Cambodian war to Vietnam maritime borders

However, differences over scope of rules make agreement ‘highly unlikely’ during Jakarta’s time at helm of Southeast Asian bloc, observer says