JAKARTA, KOMPAS – United States Vice President Mike Pence has reaffirmed the support of President Donald Trump for cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In fact, Washington wants to continue to further strengthen cooperation between the US and ASEAN, especially in diplomacy, economics and security.
Citing the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the 40 years of US-ASEAN diplomatic cooperation, Pence reiterated Washington\'s stance of making ASEAN a strategic partner.
"Under the leadership of President Trump, the US will take steps to strengthen US-ASEAN cooperation," Pence said following a meeting with ASEAN secretary-general Le Luong Minh and permanent representatives of ASEAN member countries in Jakarta on Thursday (20/4).
Pence said Trump would attend the US-ASEAN Summit, the East Asia Summit and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The US-ASEAN Summit, the US-East Asia Summit and the APEC Leaders Meeting will be held separately in Vietnam and the Philippines in November 2017.
"It is part of President Trump\'s attention to US-ASEAN strategic relations or cooperation. I hope we continue to strengthen the structure of the cooperation and strengthen regional economic and security cooperation," Pence said.
The US and ASEAN will also continue to strengthen cooperation to combat terrorism, like by sharing information. Pence also highlighted the important role of ASEAN in building the stability and security of the South China Sea region.
In response, the Indonesian permanent representative for ASEAN, Rahmat Pramono, said Pence\'s statement dismissed doubts that had emerged at the beginning of the Trump administration. "There have been doubts and rumors that the US will not see us. In fact, he committed to paying attention to ASEAN. Vice President Pence has ensured President Trump will attend the meeting in November," he explained.
He added that besides the US-ASEAN cooperation, the South China Sea and North Korea issues were also discussed during the meeting between Pence and the ASEAN permanent members.
The vice president said he also hopes that a code of conduct (COC) for the disputed South China Sea will be established soon. He said he thought the COC would help in build stability and security in the region.
America First Policy
In a bilateral meeting between Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Pence on Thursday, the America First policy became a hot topic. "Of course we want to understand first what they mean by the America First policy," Kalla told the media afterwards.
By knowing the purpose of the America First policy, the Indonesian government can determine the direction of relations with the US.
During the meeting they also discussed the promotion of US trade and investment relations in other countries, including Indonesia. Pence explained that currently the US would focus more on improving bilateral relations, not multilateral ones. In addition, the US emphasizes a balanced relationship that would be equally beneficial to all countries.
In the meeting, Kalla also told Pence that Indonesia did not commit unfair practices in its trade with the US. The claim was made in response to the US government’s accusation that unfair practices had allowed Indonesia to enjoy a big trade surplus with the US.
During the meeting, which last for about 45 minutes, the US vice president was accompanied by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Coordinating Maritime Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution. Also present were Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan and the head of the Investment Coordinating Board, Thomas Lembong.
Pence arrived at the Vice Presidential Palace at 11:50 a.m. Earlier, he met President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the State Palace.
Win-win solution
In the meeting with Jokowi, the Indonesian and US governments committed to improving trade relations and investment. Pence said the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries would be carried out in the interests of US, Indonesia and Southeast Asian society.
Pence said that in line with President Trump’s policy, the US wants to build trade and investment relations between two countries that are free and fair. "Publicly, both of us (Pence and President Jokowi) want the talks to be continued,” Pence said during a joint press conference in Jakarta.
(NTA/NDY/JOS)
