Ge Hongliang: What do ASEAN countries see from the Russian-Ukrainian crisis?
Author: Ge Hongliang, Senior Researcher of Chahar Society, Vice Dean of ASEAN College of Guangxi University for Nationalities
Source: Voice of the South China Sea, 2022-03-07; Chahar Society
WeChat platform editor: Zhou Yue
Image source: Network
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has not ended, and the talks and consultations between the two sides are not easy, which has widely attracted the attention of international public opinion, but also aroused the "deep concern" and self-warning of ASEAN countries.
In the face of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, ASEAN countries compare themselves to Ukraine, because they are basically counted as "small countries" in the relative sense. For "small countries", because of the national security and stability, prosperity and development, how to get along with big countries in international politics is an eternal and must be faced rigorously, which is particularly important for ASEAN countries and countries such as Ukraine that are in the "broken zone" or the frontier of geopolitical competition and confrontation.
Nowadays, it is not accidental that ASEAN countries have awakened themselves to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but a conscious act, which is due to the logic of their long-term habit of getting along with major powers, and it is also caused by the pressure of "choosing sides" in the face of strategic competition among major powers. At the same time, compared with the occurrence of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the self-warning of ASEAN countries, it can be seen that in terms of getting along with major powers and dealing with great power competition, the ASEAN countries' historical way of dealing with themselves and today's conscious behavior can be called a model of "small countries".
Expected "deep concern"
The crisis in Ukraine was incomprehensible, which eventually led to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In the face of this regional security hotspot, ASEAN countries, although they are also "small countries", have expressed more of the expected "deep concerns".
Specifically, with the exception of Indonesia and Singapore, most Southeast Asian countries have avoided even using the word "condemnation", while Singapore and Indonesia have adopted the word "condemnation" in a more general sense of principle, expressing "strong condemnation of all unjustified invasions of sovereign states".
Myanmar, which has been depressed in ASEAN for more than a year, is the only country to offer a differentiated position, clearly expressing its understanding and support for Russia's actions. Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, while expressing "serious concerns" in their respective statements, focused more on hoping that all parties would exercise restraint and resolve the conflict through peaceful dialogue, while the Philippines also proposed a path to alleviate and resolve the current crisis, believing that the current conflict situation between Russia and Ukraine is not irreversible, and that it is a pragmatic and decent approach to turn to the United Nations Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, while Thailand pointed out that the "Normandy model" regulatory mechanism should be activated.
ASEAN is the most important intergovernmental organization in Southeast Asia, and it is also an important platform and channel for ASEAN countries to get along with major powers and collectively deal with great power competition. Cambodia holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN in 2022. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said, "Although we are far from Russia and Ukraine, we will discuss this major international issue and hope to see a peaceful solution." ”
On February 26, without Myanmar's involvement, the ASEAN foreign minister issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine. In the statement, while expressing its deep concern about the fighting, ASEAN also hoped that all parties would exercise maximum restraint and resolve the crisis peacefully and avoid spiralling out of control through diplomatic channels and in accordance with international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in South-East Asia, while stressing that "all parties should maintain peace, stability and harmony under the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and equality". It can be seen that ASEAN has focused on dialogue and the maintenance of international norms and principles.
"No side" can also be safe
On the whole, in addition to Myanmar, the expected "deep concern" of ASEAN countries about the situation in Russia and Ukraine and their statements actually reveal several important messages: First, they are "deeply concerned" about the development of the situation while strictly adhering to a neutral position, and the Philippines even bluntly stated that "no one side has a convincing reason to take hostile actions" in the current situation; second, norms and principles such as international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia are emphasized and valued by ASEAN countries, which is a general use of "condemnation" by Indonesia and Singapore The real intention of the words is also the reason for Singapore's participation in sanctions against Russia; third, ASEAN countries will also issue "one voice" and attach importance to the discourse expression and influence of ASEAN in international security affairs while being concerned about the situation in Russia and Ukraine.
Since its inception, ASEAN has actually been an important platform and channel for its member states to jointly cope with the strategic competition of major powers, and in the process of getting along with major powers for a long time and dealing with major power competition, ASEAN has generally formed a "way of self-management" to maintain regional security and peace. First, and most importantly, as small countries, ASEAN countries emphasize dynamic equidistant diplomacy in their dealings with and in the face of great power competition, adhere to the position of "not choosing sides", and maintain strategic autonomy on this basis; second, as small countries, ASEAN countries attach importance to the principles of "peace, freedom and neutrality" and the principle of "denuclearization" and the maintenance of international law, norms and systems, including the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the Charter of the United Nations, in their exchanges with and in the face of competition with major powers; Regarded as indispensable or basic, ASEAN countries are also making a big fuss about multilateral defense dialogue and cooperation in the region while strengthening their own defense capacity building, while the construction of the "ASEAN Community" and its resilience and adaptability in the face of great power competition and situation evolution are regarded as the basis of ASEAN's "self-reliance". In this way, ASEAN has not only not fallen into the trap of great power competition for decades, but also formed a "way of self-management" in maintaining regional peace and security, and has achieved remarkable achievements and prestige.
The occurrence of the Crisis in Ukraine and the emergence of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict should arouse more thinking in the world, and small countries should get a warning from it, and the "way of dealing with big countries" that ASEAN countries have long lived with and responded to great power competition is exemplary and has obvious enlightening significance for small countries. Of course, in the face of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, including small states, all countries should be highly vigilant against the arms race and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
*Disclaimer: This article only represents the personal views of the author and does not represent the position of this official account
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