Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (center) speaks during the 34th ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting in Jakarta on Sept 4, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to focus on the economy and regional peace at this week's ASEAN Summit meetings in Jakarta, according to officials and experts.

Indonesia, this year’s rotating ASEAN chair, is hosting the 43rd ASEAN Summit from Sep 5 to 7, along with a series of related meetings among the visiting heads of state and government.

Bangladesh and the Cook Islands are also invited to the ASEAN Summit, as they respectively chair the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian Ocean Rim Association

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is expected to chair the plenary and retreat sessions of the ASEAN Summit, the East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, as well as bilateral meetings and ASEAN one-on-one meetings with Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Nations.

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This year’s summit is themed “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth focuses on propelling the ASEAN Community Vision 2025”.

Opening the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat on the morning of Sep 4, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the meetings would discuss the development and the strengthening of ASEAN’s cooperation with its external partner countries.

Such issues include establishing a long-term vision for the region, strengthening ASEAN’s resilience in facing challenges of the times; pushing for an economic center of the world; and further developing the Pacific region into a peaceful, safe, and nuclear-free place.

Specifically, the Code of Conduct for achieving a stable and safe South China Sea, the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, and the ASEAN Maritime Outlook are expected to be on the agenda.

Retno also called on colleagues to find a peaceful solution to the Myanmar conflict. She said the regional group should prove that it is still important in contributing to “regional peace, stability and prosperity.” Myanmar’s administration has not been invited to the summit.

During the earlier Consultation Meeting of ASEAN Economic Ministers, Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the country agreed to enhance intra-ASEAN trade and investment and he was optimistic that ASEAN will become stronger in addressing any future challenges, highlighting the centrality of ASEAN in regional affairs.

Also on Sep 4, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Panamanian Vice-Foreign Minister Vladimir Franco, and Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh  Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah signed the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) for their respective countries, as China did first 20 years ago.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and US Vice-President Kamala Harris are representing their countries in the meetings.

Thailand will be represented by Sarun Charoensuwan, permanent secretary of its foreign ministry. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Jakarta on his first international appearance as prime minister after he took office on Aug 22, according to Cambodia's government spokesman Pen Bona.

Bangladesh and the Cook Islands are also invited to the ASEAN Summit, as they respectively chair the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian Ocean Rim Association. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao arrived in Jakarta

Founded in 1967, ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste is expected to become its 11th member. 

Professor Aleksius Jemadu from Pelita Harapan University in Banten, near Jakarta, said the summit should focus on economic growth. "ASEAN is a region that has grown fast after the pandemic,” he said, urging leaders to take advantage of this momentum.

A peaceful environment is a guarantee for development and advancing the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea region will also help, Jemadu said, especially after a series of military exercises in the region joined by outside countries.

During Indonesia’s chairmanship, ASEAN and China have agreed to speed up the COC negotiation process and formulate practical guidelines “to ensure that the COC continues to be effective and actionable”, Singapore’s Straits Times cited Rolliansyah Soemirat, director of ASEAN political security cooperation in Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, as saying recently.

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“Given the complexity of the elements in the COC, the parties involved have been very careful so that a breakthrough is needed to accelerate the process,” he added.

Usman Kansong, Indonesia’s director general for media and information, said much has to be done on ASEAN’s cultural and people exchanges, which include sports and youth programs.

About half of the government workers in Jakarta are taking turns working from home, partly to reduce traffic congestion during the summit. Private sector offices have been encouraged to follow suit. 

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily. 

Xinhua contributed to this story.