Indonesia warns ASEAN on ‘destructive’ rivalry as Jakarta summit opens

Indonesia warned on Tuesday against Southeast Asia’s bloc getting dragged into big-power rivalry as leaders gathered for a summit seeking to dispel worry about rifts over peace efforts in Myanmar and to reaffirm the relevance of their disparate group.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, opening a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), called on the group to devise a “long-term tactical strategy that is relevant and meets people’s expectations”.
Widodo said, “ASEAN has agreed to not be a proxy to any powers. Don’t turn our ship into an arena for rivalry that is destructive.”
“We, as leaders, have ensure this ship keeps moving and sailing and we must become its captain to achieve peace, stability, and prosperity together.”
Founded at the height of the Cold War in the 1960s to oppose the spread of communism, the politically diverse grouping prioritises unity and non-interference in members’ internal affairs.