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China and Russia have pledged to counter “extra-regional forces” in Southeast Asia. The pledge comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the region.
What Russia said: In a statement to a Russian news outlet following his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said both China and Russia were committed to “countering any attempts by extra-regional forces to interfere in Southeast Asian affairs.” He emphasized the importance of multilateral platforms like ASEAN, stating, “We must do everything to prevent it from being destroyed, [and] we believe it is important … to jointly counter interference by forces from outside this region in the affairs of Southeast Asia and to make contributions to its well-being and prosperity.”
What China said: In a readout provided to a Chinese news outlet, Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised China’s ties with Russia, calling them “mature, stable, resilient and autonomous, with solid political mutual trust, deepening strategic cooperation and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation.” He added, “In the face of the chaotic international situation and external interference and resistance, China is willing to work with Russia … to safeguard the core interests of each other, and always be a fellow traveler and a good partner in each other’s development.”
China/US Talks: Following these statements, Secretary Blinken held a meeting with Foreign Minister Yi. According to a readout by the State Department, Secretary Blinken reiterated “that the United States, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.” They added that Secretary Blinken “raised concerns about China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” and “Russia’s defense industrial base.”
Digging Deeper: Tensions between the United States and China over the Indo-Pacific center on China’s militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea, which includes deploying military facilities and missile systems to assert territorial claims. In response, the US is enhancing its diplomatic and military presence by strengthening alliances and increasing regional deployments, particularly in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Both China and the United States accuse each other of “destabilizing” actions in the region.
