Addressing the Jakarta summit earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) "share a vision of a free, open, prosperous, secure, connected and resilient 'Indo-Pacific'," in which all countries in the region are "free to choose their own paths and partners", and that issues can be resolved openly rather than through coercion,
China Daily recalled.
According to the newspaper, he was clearly attempting to rally ASEAN members to the US banner. "But his entreaty has not been answered, as the ASEAN countries are holding him to his word and choosing their own path, which is not to choose sides between the US and China," China Daily pointed out.
The article reminded that Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters that ASEAN countries do not want to be divided or vassal states, "or worse, an arena for proxy wars". "Everybody knows that the US has the habit of using others as proxies, and they only have to look at Ukraine to see for themselves the consequences of accepting that role. For the US, the meeting in Jakarta was just another opportunity to try and drive wedges between China and ASEAN countries," China Daily noted.
