ASEAN Summits with Quad countries - East Asia Summit - India-Japan Cyber Dialogue
A lot happened in Jakarta last week. Apart from other multilateral forums like the 18th East Asia Summit, we had important bilateral summits between Quad countries and ASEAN. Indian Prime Minister Modi attended the 20th ASEAN-India Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida the 26th ASEAN-Japan Summit, US Vice President Harris — acting in President Biden’s stead — the 11th ASEAN-US Summit, and Australian Prime Minister Albanese the 3rd ASEAN-Australia Summit.
Below is presented a run-down of key pointers from speeches, statements, and initiatives arising from these summits, and a larger point about Quad-ASEAN cooperation:
First, the ASEAN-India Summit affirmed the idea that India’s outlook on the Indo-Pacific — loosely its vision of the Indo-Pacific — aligns with that of ASEAN’s.
PM Modi’s speech underscored the following points regarding charting the future course for the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (signed in 2022):
ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East Policy, and holds a place in India’s Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI)
India supports ASEAN centrality and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)
That the 21st century is Asia’s century
Their common interest lay in the “progress of free and open Indo-Pacific” and “elevating the Voice of Global South”
Cooperation with ASEAN in areas like maritime cooperation
Note that ASEAN centrality refers to ASEAN’s role as the primary “driving force” of East Asian and Asia-Pacific regionalism.
With regard towards ASEAN-India practical cooperation, Modi’s 12-point plan includes initiatives to enhance infrastructure connectivity linking Southeast Asia, India, West Asia, and Europe, enhance digital and financial connectivity, strengthen maritime cooperation (maritime safety, security and domain awareness), disaster management, climate change, and the energy transition.
On maritime cooperation, ASEAN and India released a joint statement. It covers areas where practical cooperation is possible. The areas are:
Trafficking in persons and smuggling of arms and drugs
Terrorism
Piracy and armed robbery against ships
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
Marine pollution, through enhanced global and regional cooperation
ASEAN-India cooperation in the Indo-Pacific to be strengthened in maritime safety and security in areas including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR); Search and Rescue (SAR) operations; early warning systems; information sharing and capacity building in the maritime domain; strengthening cooperation through specialized regional bodies; cooperation in blue economy in numerous areas; enhance ASEAN-India Space Cooperation with maritime-related applications.
In his statements during the East Asia Summit, Modi spoke regarding emerging concerns in the Indo-Pacific:
Imperative that everyone adheres to international laws; everyone’s commitment and joint efforts are necessary to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; important that UNCLOS applies equally to all countries; the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea under negotiation between ASEAN and China be effective and in accordance with UNCLOS
Multilateralism and the rules-based global order are essential for countering challenges such as terrorism, extremism, and geopolitical conflicts.
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Second — like Modi — Harris referred to upholding ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific, the convergence of perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, and strengthening the ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In this vein, the fact sheet on their relationship includes:
A US-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC in the works; focusing on cooperation in numerous areas like private sector cooperation and education
Partnership on economics and trade, climate and energy, and maritime issues such as sustainable fishing, as well as education and cultural exchange
This further includes infrastructure financing, private-sector investment, transportation cooperation, energy transition, defense and maritime cooperation
Enhancement of — among others — the US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership, US-ASEAN Science, Technology, and Innovation Cooperation Program, US-ASEAN Forest Future Initiative, US-ASEAN Climate Solutions Hub, U.S.-ASEAN Alliance for Protected Area Conservation
Health, Human Rights, and Women’s Empowerment cooperation
Third, Kishida referred to similar points about ASEAN centrality, and how Japan and ASEAN’s interests converge in the Indo-Pacific. A pillar of Japan’s partnership with ASEAN is — as their joint statement underscores — convergence around their outlooks of the Indo-Pacific region. Kishida noted synergies between the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), and their mutual emphasis on fostering principles of openness, transparency, inclusiveness, and respect for international law in the Indo-Pacific.
At the summit, Japan and the ASEAN upgraded their relationship to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The joint statement underscoring this upgrade includes the convergence of interests in the Indo-Pacific. It includes “reaffirming” their commitment to ‘Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’ adopted in 2020.
At the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, Japan launched the Japan-ASEAN Comprehensive Connectivity Initiative, an upgrade of the same initiative from 2020. The initiative complements ASEAN in its efforts to strengthen connectivity in order to develop quality infrastructure and promote non-structural cooperation through technical cooperation in addition to structural cooperation. Japan’s ¥2.8 trillion investment in the Southeast Asian region is spread across enhancing transport infrastructure development, strengthening digital, maritime, electricity, and ‘human and knowledge’ connectivity, and supporting supply chain resilience.
At the East Asia Summit, Kishida brought up the need for upholding and reinforcing the free and open international order based on the rule of law, and stated that Japan opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and economic coercion. He also mentioned the concern towards Myanmar, North Korea, the situations in the East China and South China Seas, and the Taiwan Strait. Regarding China, he said:
Japan would engage itself in mutual efforts to build a “constructive and stable relationship” between Japan and China, together with President Xi Jinping, and Japan would continue to promote close communication at all levels for this purpose.
Fourth, Albanese emphasized Australia’s commitment to deepening engagement with our Southeast Asia partners. He announced two initiatives to support food security:
Investment in the ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food Regional Program to support joint research between ASEAN and Australia to develop new agricultural practices and technologies to support regional food security.
Expansion of the Meryl Williams Fellowships for women in agricultural science to enable approximately 20 fellows from ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste to undertake study programs in Australia.
What stands out from the summit is the unveiling of Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 — it is described as “a practical pathway to increase Australia’s two-way trade and investment with Southeast Asia”.
Other initiatives include the $200 million Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership, focused — among other areas — on de-risking private infrastructure projects, supporting Indonesia’s sustainable finance and just energy transition, and the establishment of a bilateral mechanism to advance collaboration on the EV ecosystem under the Partnership.
Australia and ASEAN upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
Big Picture:
Clearly, the groundwork for a robust ASEAN-Quad relationship in the Indo-Pacific is in the works. Quad countries have all enhanced relations with ASEAN in recent years. There are sprawling areas of convergence between the Quad countries and ASEAN, and — importantly — there exists the convergence of the strategic role that ASEAN plays for the Quad countries. Perhaps the idea that the Quad and ASEAN can’t work together — that the Quad necessarily displaces ASEAN’s place in the Indo-Pacific, or threatens ASEAN centrality — is misguided.
Fifth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue
Japan hosted the fifth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue in Tokyo on 14th September.
Both sides discussed important areas of bilateral cyber cooperation and reviewed the progress achieved in the areas of cybersecurity and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) including 5G technology. Both sides exchanged views on latest developments in cyber domain and mutual cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral and regional fora, including under the Quad framework. Both the delegations underscored the importance of capacity building in ensuring secure cyberspace and agreed to cooperate in this aspect.
India will host the dialogue next in 2024.
Big Picture:
One of Quad’s foci is cybersecurity cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. It defines a need to “secure cyberspace for fostering a responsible international digital economy”, and to “collaborate to enhance regional capacity and resilience to cyber incidents and threats”.
Australian and Japanese firms to jointly conduct a feasibility study for carbon capture and storage
Australian energy company Woodside and Japanese multinationals Sumitomo Corporation, Toha Gas and K Line signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) value chain between Australia and Japan. CCS is a process under which carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes are captured and stored in deep underground geological formations. CCS technology is expected to fight global technology. The Japanese government aims to use CCS to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality.
Sumitomo Corporation, in a statement, said:
Through this study, we will estimate the amount of CO2 to be captured, examine the optimal CO2 capture, accumulation and transportation methods, estimate the amount of CO2 that can be stored at storage sites in Australia, and evaluate the necessary storage technologies and monitoring systems
While Woodside executive vice president Shaun Gregory said:
Woodside sees CCS as an opportunity, which will require coordination and collaboration — between jurisdictions, across government and between government and industry. Japan is one such country that faces the challenge of emissions reduction and will foreseeably look to near-neighbour nations to support their efforts
Big Picture:
Quad countries launched the Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (QCHAMP) to help the countries of the region in addressing climate change and a transition to a net-zero economy. This cooperation between Australian and Japanese companies to jointly work on the challenge of emissions reduction will help in the reduction of carbon footprint in the Indo-Pacific region.
South Korea is keen on joining the Quad
Jae-bok, the South Korean Envoy in India, expressed that South Korea was keen on joining the Quad. Mr. Bok said, “Korea is already an important partner for all Quad countries. It is entirely on the Quad members to consider including us.”
Big Picture:
The interest shown by the South Korean Ambassador in joining Quad shows its increasing importance in the region and the opportunities it provides. South Korea is one of the important countries in the Indo-Pacific region. It is one of the leading economies in the world and a global leader in emerging technologies. South Korea, due to its close ties with the Quad countries, and location, makes it suitable for Quad membership.
Curator: Bharat Sharma
Contributors: Bharat Sharma, Kingshuk Saha