JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Wednesday she appreciates China’s support for regional bloc ASEAN’s five-point peace consensus agreed to bring about an end to hostilities in military-ruled Myanmar.
Retno was speaking after a meeting in Jakarta with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.
“Indonesia sends its appreciation for China’s support for the five point consensus. (It) is the main reference for ASEAN to help Myanmar out of its political crises,” she said.
Myanmar has been trapped in a spiral of violence and economic and political instability since a coup in early 2021.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which Indonesia chairs this year, is increasingly frustrated with the Myanmar junta’s unwillingness to follow steps outlined in the so-called consensus, an agreement made shortly after the coup that its top general signed up to.
“As ASEAN chair, Indonesia will embark on engagements with all stakeholders in Myanmar, with the one goal of opening up a possibility of an inclusive national dialogue in Myanmar,” she added.
The consensus remains the only official diplomatic process in play on the Myanmar crisis but many Western countries have become disillusioned by the failure to move it forward.
Retno also said negotiations on creating a code of conduct (COC) on the South China Sea, which has been two decades in the making, will be intensified.
“Indonesia and ASEAN would like to produce an effective, substantive and actionable (code of conduct),” she said.
Qin added that China and Indonesia will jointly safeguard the peace and stability of what disputed waterway.
Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, Retno said after hosting a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers earlier this month.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Martin Petty)
