Japan, ASEAN to Upgrade Relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

According to reports, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership at a special summit scheduled for December, said ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News on March 6th.

ASEAN has already upgraded its relationship with the United States and escalated the relationship with Communist China in 2021 and in 2022, respectively, which has also pushed ASEAN to strengthen its relationship with Japan due to concerns about being involved in the two countries’ confrontation. Japan hopes to re-emphasize its importance to Southeast Asia in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan is expected to play a greater role in promoting diversification to achieve regional stability. Kao Kim Hourn stressed that this year marks the 50th anniversary of friendly cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, and the current strategic partnership is expected to be upgraded. He stated that ASEAN-Japan relations are not only important in terms of economic cooperation, but also in regional security, showing a gesture to value Japan’s role.

The working group of ASEAN will begin meetings from March 8th to develop a code of conduct with Communist China, aiming at avoiding disputes in the South China Sea. Kao Kim Hourn said that although there are different opinions and many issues, it is important to start drafting the code; both Communist China and ASEAN hope to make progress.