Jakarta. ASEAN once again refused to be a theater for the never-ending US-China competition, as the group continues to trade with both camps.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the bloc’s 59th anniversary, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono said that ASEAN would stick to its neutral stance, though he avoided naming Washington and Beijing.

“ASEAN has made it clear that our region must never become an arena for great power rivalry, nor will ASEAN choose sides,” Sugiono told a room full of Southeast Asian and other foreign diplomats in Jakarta on Saturday.

“Because our side is, will always be, the side of our people, their welfare, security, and future.”

He went on to say what makes Southeast Asians happy with the 11-member club is not the number of deals ASEAN has signed, but whether the work being done actually enables uninterrupted food and energy security, especially during crises. From Jakarta’s perspective, ASEAN — which is now the world’s fifth-largest economy — has been “steady on its course” amid the geopolitical rifts.

Sugiono tried to pitch ASEAN as a bridge-builder, a role that he said befitted the grouping following decades of peaceful dispute settlements and mutual respect. He also repeated like a mantra the importance of dialogue. 

“Our greatest strength lies in our ability to bring countries, big and small, with diverse interests and perspectives to the same table. Not to erase differences, but to manage them through dialogue and mutual respect,” Sugiono said.

“This is why every major power continues to engage ASEAN and values its central role in the regional architecture,” Sugiono said, while referring to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

This decades-old treaty binds ASEAN and dozens of countries, including China and the US, into peaceful coexistence in the region. ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, too, described this pact as having provided the “steady foundation for inter-state relations” as it covers peaceful dispute settlements and mutual respect, among others.

“These principles have served our region well through decades of geopolitical shifts and economic fragmentation,” Kao said.

The two world’s richest nations mainly exert their influence in the region via economic means. China has largely invested in Southeast Asia, including many of Indonesia’s infrastructure and mining projects. Beijing has upgraded its ASEAN trade pact to expand its terms to cover the digital economy and environmental protection.

The Donald Trump 2.0 administration has used tariff measures to compel ASEAN nations into trade deals that heavily tilt in Washington’s favor. Just a few weeks ago, Trump launched new double-digit tariffs after claiming many ASEAN economies and dozens of other countries had been doing a poor job of banning imported goods made with forced labor. 

ASEAN’s two-way merchandise trade with China amounted to $772.4 billion, representing roughly 20.1% of its total trade in 2024. Its US-related commerce neared $453.2 billion, the group’s official website showed. 

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