Jakarta. China has advised ASEAN against joining “exclusive circles” as Beijing wants to maintain its influence in Southeast Asia.

Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Wang Qing warned the group on Monday of the dangers of external interference harming their “comprehensive strategic partnership”. While the diplomat did not directly name the US, his comment seems to target the Washington-Beijing rivalry that has clouded the region.

“We should ensure that mutual trust, solidarity, and cooperation remain the mainstream. And keep the region's future in our own hands,” Wang told a conference in Jakarta.

“We must oppose any external interference. Any attempt to form exclusive circles or stop bloc confrontation.”

Senior officials of both sides have been speaking highly of the strong ties.

Merchandise trade came in at around $1 trillion last year, with China contributing roughly $20 billion in foreign direct investment inflows, ASEAN reported. Both sides have recently upgraded their free trade area document to also include the digital and green economy. 

They are also working toward a “code of conduct” or the golden rules on how the countries should behave to calm tensions in the South China Sea. Beijing and some ASEAN nations have laid overlapping claims to the strategic waterway that accounts for roughly one-third of the world’s maritime commerce.

Speaking at the same forum, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn renewed the bloc's commitment to having the code of conduct ready within this year.

“Sustained dialogue, confidence-building measures, adherence to international law, and the peaceful management of disputes must remain the foundation of our pragmatic approach,” Kao said.

ASEAN has long vowed not to be pulled into either orbit in face of the US-China tensions.

Washington had led the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) under the previous administration of Joe Biden, an initiative aimed at building a resilient supply chain. Most ASEAN members are in the IPEF.

US President Donald Trump has stayed quiet on the IPEF and prefers to grow Washington’s influence in Southeast Asia by addressing the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute. Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam have joined his Board of Peace, an initiative aimed at overseeing reconstruction efforts in the war-battered Gaza.

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