ASEAN’s Different Responses to the New AUKUS Announcement
Photo: Reuters.

Several ASEAN member countries have responded to this new development, although being different from each other’s. Within each response, there are also certain differences compared to 2021’s, when the pact was first announced. 

Indonesia - strongest concern in ASEAN but not as critical as 2021
  • On March 14, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that Indonesia "has been closely following" the announcement, emphasized that maintaining peace and stability in the region was the responsibility of all countries to remain consistent in fulfilling its obligations under the NPT & IAEA mechanisms.
  • It can be seen from the tweet that Indonesia still has certain reservations about AUKUS, though its level of suspicion has dwindled: Compared to 2021, Indonesia no longer expressed its “deep concerns” over the pact. Moreover, different from 2021, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs only tweeted and not issued an official statement on its official website.
Malaysia – position unchanged but critical tone tremendously reduced
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia said the country emphasized the importance of complying with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), and the ASEAN Declaration on the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN). It also expressed its concerns over the possibility of an arms race and called on promoting transparency and confidence-building. 
  • However, Malaysia’s March 14 release reflected a more positive attitude: Malaysia said it “acknowledges” the need for AUKUS member countries to enhance their defense capabilities and “appreciates the readiness" of the three countries in engaging with Malaysia. Back in 2021, Malaysia was considered one of the most concerned ASEAN countries over AUKUS.
The Philippines – more explicit support  
  • Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs expressed the hope that AUKUS will “reinforce an international rules-based order” and “contribute to the preservation of regional peace and stability”, as well as“support Philippine “pursuit of deeper regional cooperation and sustained economic vitality and resilience”.
  • In 2021, Duterte’s administration was still divided about AUKUS: President Duterte said he was “concerned” about the possibility of an arms race while the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Defense at the time welcomed the Under President Marcos’s adminstration, Philippine domestic opinion on AUKUS seems to be more unified, demonstrating that the level of support for AUKUS has increased. This is also consistent with Manila’s policy on reinforcing security cooperation with the US and Australia.
Vietnam & Cambodia – position maintained
  • Vietnam highlighted the need for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region, as well as reiterated that nuclear energy needs to be used and developed for the purpose of peace and socio-economic development, somewhat similar to the 2021 response.
  • Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expresses his concern about AUKUS, doubting the pledge of not equipping nuclear weapons, while calling for big countries not to “ use their power to abuse small ones. This statement shares similarities with the speech of Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn from 2021 (expecting the pact not to “fuel unhealthy rivalries and further escalate tension”).
The rest of ASEAN – to be or not to be?
  • In 2021, Singapore made a positive response, yet in 2023, no official statement has been released (on September 2021, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong held a phone call with his Australian counterpart and expressed his hope that AUKUS will contribute to regional peace and stability).
  • Myanmar, Laos & Brunei have not expressed their positions.
Overall, ASEAN countries do not still have a common stance on AUKUS, similar to 2021. The responses can be split into three main categories: concerning, supporting, and neutral. However, the criticisms of the new agreement are moderately less intense. 
 
The post is originally published here
Translated by Nguyen Tien Dat
Revised by HD, Viet Ha