Asean needs to reinforce open regionalism and develop a long-term low-carbon vision to take advantage of opportunities or risk member states drifting apart, says former Indonesian minister Mari Pangestu.
With open regionalism, Asean will engage all countries which accept its rules, without discrimination against any other - unlike the exclusive trade and investment club under close regionalism.
"If we really believe in the relevance of Asean and the centrality of Asean, then Asean is really one of the potential middle powers that can actually navigate this," Dr Pangestu said in The Straits Times' Asian Insider podcast.
"You don't want to be pulled either from the China side or the US side, or (have) other countries saying this should be your regional order," she said. "We should really take charge of how we should be looking at this."
This means the grouping is not exclusive to either China or the United States, but it engages both countries and other powers big and small, inviting them to be part of its regional economic integration, alongside political cooperation, she added.
This story is from the May 27, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the May 27, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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