The United States convenes the ASEAN–US Special Summit in Washington
The United States and ASEAN leaders gathered in Washington DC to conduct the ASEAN–US Special Summit from 12–13 May 2022. The summit concluded a bilateral commitment to upgrade the US-ASEAN relationship from a strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
During the meeting, President Biden and ASEAN leaders reiterated their firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial ownership, and political rights. Biden urged the bloc’s leaders to harden their posture toward Russia while also stressing its long-term focus on the Indo-Pacific.
The discussion also revolved around ongoing COVID-19 challenges in which the United States would continue to support ASEAN in its fight against the pandemic. The US also pledged to provide more than USD 150 million to the region to enhance security, energy, pandemic response development, sustainable infrastructure and climate change responses.
The US expressed its commitment to deploy its Coast Guard vessel to China’s illegitimate fishing areas to help ASEAN counter China’s rising assertiveness in the region. President Biden also nominated Yohannes Abraham, the former Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, to be the US Ambassador to ASEAN and also pushed for the creation of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) initiative.
However, ASEAN did not condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but shared concerns about China’s rising assertiveness in the South China Sea. In addition, both ASEAN and the US expressed their deep concern regarding violence in Myanmar. They called for the release of all detained politicians , an end to hostilities, and the establishment of diplomatic dialogue among all stakeholders.
The Myanmar junta’s leader was barred from the meeting due to its current domestic diplomatic turmoil. In response to its exclusion, the junta has revealed its turn to China.
Despite pledges from the US to ASEAN, many believed the regional bloc remains frustrated over the lack of planned engagement with the region. Others viewed China’s economic relations with ASEAN countries as one of the variables that can limit the bloc’s support for the US. Also, some viewed the US commitment towards ASEAN as extremely limited when compared to China while others do believe the engagement is a sign the US prioritized commitment to the region.
These competing commentaries speak to the need more engagement in order to establish common stances that can then be viewed as a genuine deepening of relations. Indeed, clearer cooperation is needed on the Ukrainian crisis, the IPEF, and on China’s assertiveness in Southeast Asia. This summit does, however, appear to be a step in that direction.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr wins Philippines Presidential Election
The son of the former Philippines dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, won the 2022 Philippines Presidential Election in a landslide becoming the next President of the Philippines after Rodrigo Duterte.
Although the official result won’t be released until the end of May, Marcos has secured more than 30 million votes while his closest rival, Leni Robredo, has only 14 million votes with more than 95% of the votes already counted. The new president will assume office on 30 June for a six-year term. With his arrival in office, there are many issues to tackle such as the COVID-19 recovery, poverty, inequality, unemployment, and the ’prosecution demand of President Duterte’s anti-drug suppression that killed thousands.
Marcos thanked his supporters for the victory and their right convictions in him. Marcos encouraged his supporters to judge him for his action, not his father. However, rallies were held at the Commission on Elections in the Philippines over the result of the election. Robredo urged her supporters to accept the result.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among the first foreign leaders to call Ferdinand Marcos Jr to congratulate him for his landslide triumph in the election. In the call with Marcos Jr, President Biden looked forward to strengthening ties between the two allies while President Xi showed Beijing’s readiness to work with Manila on deepening good relations between China and the Philippines.
Some have expressed concern over how the Philippines will handle human right issues as both Marcos Jr and new Vice President Sara Duterte have avoided talking about human rights matter during their campaigns. Others were concerned about the possible deterioration of democracy with the rising Chinese presence in the Pacific over Macros Jr’s victory.
Marcos Jr has, nonetheless, won the election and will assume a six-year term where he must confront a raft of significant issues from unemployment to the controversy of Duterte’s war on drugs. All eyes are up on how Marcos Jr will handle these issues and what type of President he will be.
Indonesia lifts its palm oil export ban from 23 May 2022
Due to the improvement of the cooking oil supply within Indonesia, the Indonesian government lifted its palm oil export ban from 23 May 2022. This came nearly one month after the country decided to impose export restrictions because of the internal shortage and to protect Indonesia’s domestic cooking oil consumption.
Although the current domestic palm oil price in Indonesia did not reach the planned USD 0.95 per litre, the Indonesian government decided to put the well-being of the more than 17 million Indonesian workers in the palm oil sector a priority. The ban resulted in a loss of more than USD 400 million per month for the Indonesian government.
President Widodo stood by his decision to keep track of the cooking oil supply to ensure the demand and supply are met with acceptable prices. Palm oil farmers, then, expected that the lift would turn their plantation activities back to normal. Beyond the economic arguments, however, some believed that the lift is connected to politics as President Widodo’s approval rating is at its lowest in six years with inflation in Indonesia a key factor.
The export ban removal is good news for the international market as Indonesia is the world’s largest palm oil exporter. The lift would ensure market stability and help to meet the demand in the international supply chain, but its true impact in Indonesia is yet to be seen.
Sovinda Po is a Research Assistant at the Griffith Asia Institute.
