A rivalry between superpowers US and China has direct implications for all of Asia, according to Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan who is in the national capital for a special two-day meeting between Inda and the foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian counties, that began on Thursday.
"The world has also changed rapidly in the last few months. The sharpening superpower rivalry between US and China has direct implications for all of us," Balakrishnan said during the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi today.
"These developments, if unchecked, can threaten the sole system of peace and stability which we have depended on for the basis of our growth and development and prosperity over many decades," he said.
At the meeting, co-chairs Singapore and India also called for strengthening ties amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Balakrishnan co-chaired the meeting along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Jaishankar today highlighted that ASEAN has stood tall as a beacon of regionalism, multilateralism and globalisation.
"ASEAN has always stood tall as a beacon of regionalism, multilateralism and globalisation. It has successfully carved out a niche for itself in the region and provided a foundation for the evolving strategic and economic architecture in the Indo-Pacific," he said.
"ASEAN's role today is perhaps more important than ever before, given the geopolitical challenges and uncertainties that the world faces. India fully supports a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN, one whose centrality in Indo-Pacific is fully recognized. The strong convergence of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) is the testimony to our shared vision for the region," Jaishankar said.
The Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting (SAIFMM) marks the 30th anniversary of India's dialogue relations with the 10-member bloc that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. It also marks the 10th anniversary of India's Strategic Partnership with ASEAN.
( With inputs from ANI )
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