ERIA Editors’ Roundtable on “ASEAN’s Role in the Indo-Pacific: Challenges Ahead”

Seventh Editors’ Roundtable

By Phidel Vineles

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), together with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, co-organised the Seventh Editors’ Roundtable with the theme “ASEAN and Indo-Pacific: Challenges Ahead”. Held on 7 October 2018 in Singapore, the roundtable brought together editors from across the East Asia Summit region with academics and ASEAN policymakers to discuss current issues that ASEAN leaders are grappling with.

Amb Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, stressed the relevance of core ASEAN principles for the Indo-Pacific. First, ASEAN respects the rule of law, which is essential for achieving a rules-based order in the region. Second, the regional grouping gives weight on the peaceful resolution of disputes in line with the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). Third, ASEAN is committed to multilateralism, especially in support of WTO and other processes of multilateral trade negotiations.

The ongoing tensions between US and China were also discussed during the conference. According to Mr Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of Middle East Institute at National University of Singapore (NUS), US trade war against China is most likely to hamper China’s development, and nobody knows when the tit-for-tat tariff imposition between two big powers will end.

The roundtable also discussed the economic, political and security implications of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific. It ended with a media dialogue on fact-based vs fake news in East Asia.