KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Asean have been proposed to initiate an inclusive Indo-Pacific dialogue including engaging China and India in the discussion to enhance regional cooperation and address pressing challenges in the region, said an academician.
Adjunct Professor of Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) at Universiti Malaya Prof Johan Saravanamuttu said the initiative will reflect Asean’s commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region, as well as its desire to facilitate open and constructive engagement between nations.
“By creating a space for open discussions, the Indo-Pacific dialogue will be a great opportunity to tackle issues like trade and economic cooperation, sustainability and others,” he said at a forum before the launch of an Indo-Pacific Project.
The project, themed Outreach on the Indo-Pacific Strategy: A Quadrilateral Outreach and Research Initiative in partnership with 18 Malaysian Institutions on 7 Pillars of the EU’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, was launched at the AEI today.
It was jointly launched by the Head of the European Union Delegation to Malaysia Michalis Rokas, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Malaysia Jaap Werner, and the Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia Joachim Bergström.
Prof Johan said Asean, a regional body comprising 10 member countries, already has the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which envisages Asean Centrality as the underlying principle for promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Thus, the regional body should institute some kind of process within Asean structure to initiate an Indo-Pacific dialogue or even elevate the dialogue to a higher level and become a Summit, by inviting all the respective heads of the government of the countries concerned.
He said the Indo-Pacific region should include countries like China, India and even some landlocked Middle Eastern countries.
China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region has been a topic of significant geopolitical discussion in recent years as its actions and assertiveness have caused unease among regional countries and led to calls for a rules-based order, freedom of navigation, and respect for international law.
Meanwhile, Prof Johan said the research and outreach project aims to facilitate a greater understanding of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy, its linkages with Asean’s Indo-Pacific outlook, and why and how Malaysia could benefit from the Indo-Pacific cooperation.
— Bernama
