As top Asian and US officials convened in Indonesia for talks, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said major countries must keep their disputes under control in order to avert a “new Cold War.”
Beijing has voiced worry over US-backed blocs emerging at its borders while also contending with disagreements with other regional countries over the South China Sea and other matters.
Li Qiang opened an ASEAN-plus-three conference with Japan and South Korea in Jakarta by stating that “disagreements and disputes may arise between countries due to misperceptions, diverging interests or external interferences.”
“To keep differences under control, what is essential now is to oppose picking sides, to oppose bloc confrontation and to oppose a new Cold War.”
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which consists of ten countries, is conducting separate summits with China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Canada, giving major powers a platform to lobby the bloc and let their rivalries play out.
Following a warning against the formation of NATO-style alliances in the Asia-Pacific region from Beijing’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu in June and a plea for “inclusive cooperation” rather than “small cliques” during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the Chinese premier made his remarks.
Washington is a member of the AUKUS defence partnership with Australia and Britain, and the Quad, a strategic alliance that includes Australia, India and Japan.
Wednesday’s meetings come before an 18-member East Asia Summit on Thursday to be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the G20 summit in New Delhi at the weekend, where broader geopolitical issues are expected to top the agenda.
