VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Asian countries, including Indonesia, as a third party in the dynamics of relations between China and the United States (US), are not sufficient to take an impartial stance, but should be proactive, according to Indonesian diplomat, Marty Natalegawa.

 

 At the Global Town Hall 2020 organized by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) on Friday, Marty said the foreign policy strategy of Indonesia, and Asian countries in general, must have a specific goal - not just hoping for the best.

 

 "The space that can be filled, or the added value that can be brought, by a country like Indonesia is how it can help create stability in the midst of the China-US rivalry," said Marty, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia for the 2009-2014 period.

 

 "And again, a country like Indonesia can not only raise concerns or complaints [...] we must offer concrete policy recommendations. [...] And not only for China and the US, but also for bilateral dynamics in the region, such as China.  -India and China-Japan, "said Marty.

 

 Tensions between China and the US have intensified in recent years, with a number of issues that have become conflicts between the two, ranging from trade wars, handling the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong and Taiwan politics, ethnic Chinese Muslims in Xinjiang, to disputes in the South China Sea.  .

 

 Some time ago, China and the US had bullied each other with a mutual show of military power in the waters of the South China Sea - potentially impacting regional security.

 

 In the same discussion session, Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia 2007-2010 and 2013, added that third countries in the Sino-US relationship will face more complex geopolitical challenges "as we continue to move towards an increasingly binary world".

 

 "But for the next decade, I think it will be very important for third countries to fix possible tensions between the two great powers, China and the United States," Rudd said. (Antaranews)