STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. It is significant to note that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chose Indonesia as his first entry to the world stage first week of September.
Indonesia is a member of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is a tradition among Philippine presidents to visit a neighboring ASEAN country first before he or she steps on to the international stage. “The Indonesia trip, I think, will be on Sept. 5, “ a source from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
After Indonesia, Marcos will be going to New York in the United States to attend the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Marcos is scheduled to address the assembly on Sept. 20.
China announced more military drills around Taiwan as the island’s president met with members of a new U.S. congressional delegation on Monday, in a further sign of support among American lawmakers for the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own.
Taiwanese media showed the delegation arriving for the talks, but details of the meeting were not immediately released. The delegation was due to depart later Monday on a U.S. government plane.
The visit came less than two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, which prompted days of threatening military exercises by China, including the firing of missiles over the island and into the Taiwan Strait. Pelosi is the highest-level member of the U.S. government to visit Taiwan in 25 years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of trying to encourage extended hostilities in Ukraine as part of what he described Tuesday as Washington’s alleged efforts to maintain its global hegemony.
Addressing a security conference attended by military officials from Africa,, Asia and Latin America, Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that he sent troops into Ukraine in response to Washington turning the country into an “anti-Russia” bulwark.
“They need conflicts to retain their hegemony,” Putin charged. “That’s why they have turned the Ukrainian people into cannon fodder. The situation in Ukraine shows that the United States is trying to drag the conflict out, and it acts in exactly the same way trying to fuel conflicts in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”
The Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday reported that Indonesia is among the countries that support the One China principle. TASS reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned Indonesia when naming countries that he considered to be supportive of the One China principle amid the escalation of the Taiwan Strait. Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that China’s just and rational position has evoked broad support from various countries.
China firmly opposes trade talks between the United States and Taiwan and says it will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests, the commerce ministry said on Thursday. “One China” policy is a prerequisite for Taiwan’s participation in economic cooperation with foreign countries, Shu Jueting, spokeswoman of the ministry, said at a regular press conference.
Myanmar’s military leadership on Wednesday lashed out at ASEAN for excluding its generals from regional gatherings, accusing it of caving to “external pressure.” ASEAN has barred Myanmar’s generals from attending regional meetings, and some members said last month it would be forced to rethink the way forward unless the junta demonstrates progress on the peace plan.
The junta has declined offers to send non-political representatives instead to ASEAN meetings. “If a seat representing a country is vacant, then it should not be labeled an ASEAN summit,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said at a routine news conference on Wednesday, adding that Myanmar was working on implementing the peace plan.
An Israeli delegation visited Muslim-majority Indonesia in late July. The organizer, the Israel-Asia Center, said the trip was intended to explore the potential for bilateral connections through investment, start-up ventures and social impact initiatives.
As the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations and Israelis rarely receive visas to visit Indonesia, the Israeli delegation was composed of people with dual citizenship. Israel does offer visas under certain conditions for Indonesian Christian and Muslim pilgrim groups wishing to visit the Holy Land.
Israel and Indonesia have taken a few steps toward diplomatic rapprochement but each time, the Indonesian leadership backed away, saying that relations would be established after advancements on the Palestinian issue.
