Indonesia's president vowed Sunday not to let Southeast Asia become the front lines of a new Cold War amid increasing tensions between the United States and China, saying as his country took over the chairmanship of the influential Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it would not become 'a proxy to any powers.'
President Joe Biden, center, stands with from left, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Even as the ASEAN leaders met over the weekend in Phnom Penh, U.S. naval exercises with its partners in the so-called "Quad" group of nations -- Australia, India and Japan -- were underway in the Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan. Biden said the U.S. will compete vigorously with China while keeping lines of communication open and ensuring that competition does not veer into conflict, while reaffirming the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the White House said.
At the opening of the East Asia Summit, Cambodian leader Hun Sen called for unity, telling the gathering attended by Biden, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that current global tensions have been taking a toll on everyone. As major economies in East Asia, Li said the group needed to "stay committed to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and beyond, and to improving the people's wellbeing."
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