“With the intensifying rivalries between the United States, China, and other powers, ASEAN can play a key role in mediation and balance, leveraging the Southeast Asian bloc’s focus on internal consensus-building,” former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in an interview with Nikkei. He was the first directly elected president in Indonesia in 2004. Yudhoyono led crucial democratic reforms for the stability of Southeast Asia’s largest economy, until stepping down a decade later. “I was president when Indonesia chaired ASEAN in 2011. As tensions in the South China Sea increased, I worked to build consensus among the member states. We decided to urge the United States, China, and other countries to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea,” Yudhoyono recalled. “That year, the US, China, and Russia took part in the East Asia Summit. Then-Chinese President Hu Jintao asked me not to raise the South China Sea issue during the meeting. Then-US President Barack Obama told me to bring it up. At the summit, President Obama and leaders from Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and others made strong

remarks toward China. But ASEAN agreed on the need to ease tensions, and so, although China was not pleased, we avoided worsening the situation.” The parallel with the current situation is obvious, and according to the former Indonesian leader, ASEAN can continue to play a crucial role. “The Asia-Pacific is home to several major powers and forces—from the United States, China, and Japan to India and ASEAN. I believe we can accept the status quo if China gains influence peacefully and has a positive impact on its neighbors. It’s important to obtain assurances from China that it will respect our territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea. Then we can build better economic relations with China,” Yudhoyono told Nikkei, before concluding: “Unlike the European Union or NATO, ASEAN lacks the overwhelming power to resolve Asia’s issues. We are a small entity compared to great powers like Japan, the US, and China. But we have the advantage of being able to engage in dialogue with all actors, including Japan, the US, China, India, Australia, and North Korea. That is why ASEAN can serve as a mediator for peace and stability in the region.”