Indonesian president Jokowi warns Asean 'can't be proxy' of any country even if its a superpower

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) greets Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt during a courtesy calls of ministers at the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta on July 14, 2023. - AFP

JAKARTA (AFP): Indonesian President Joko Widodo on late Friday announced that Asean cannot become a proxy for other countries, as US-China tensions rise over issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

Foreign ministers from the South-East Asian bloc have gathered in Jakarta for talks about regional issues, from the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety, to the crisis in Myanmar, where China is the ruling junta's main ally.