In a recent gathering of Southeast Asian defense ministers in Jakarta, strong calls were made to address the crises in Myanmar and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Discussions, including meetings with regional counterparts and the U.S. Defense Secretary, were dominated by concerns over these issues and Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea.
President Joko Widodo of Indonesia urged U.S. President Joe Biden to help facilitate a ceasefire in Gaza, a sentiment echoed by Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto during the talks. Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Hasan also called for a truce, condemning terrorism and civilian casualties.
The ASEAN defense chiefs, in a joint declaration, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and urged respect for the sanctity of life and property. The draft statement regarding Myanmar emphasized the need for all parties to cease violence, particularly in the northern Shan state.
The talks also addressed the situation in Myanmar, where the ASEAN defense chiefs urged all parties to cease violence and exercise restraint. Myanmar's junta leaders, excluded from the bloc's high-level meetings, were called upon to implement a previously agreed-upon peace plan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin participated in discussions with ASEAN defense chiefs, with broader talks involving representatives from the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and Russia scheduled for the next day. The Jakarta talks precede a significant meeting between U.S. President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco, the first encounter in a year between the leaders of the world's two largest economies. While the Pentagon has not confirmed a meeting between Austin and Beijing's representative at the Jakarta talks, bilateral talks with Indonesia's Defense Minister Subianto are planned for Thursday.
