Foreign Minister calls for strengthening ASEAN-US cooperation as anchor of stability
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono has affirmed the importance of strengthening the partnership between ASEAN and the United States as an anchor of regional stability and development, through policy certainty and consistency in cooperation.
At the annual ASEAN-US Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday (22 January), Sugiono said that ASEAN-US relations must not succumb to uncertainty, particularly as the partnership approaches its 50th anniversary in 2027.
“This is why we work together: to strengthen security, safeguard maritime stability, and uphold our shared prosperity,” Sugiono said, according to a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday.
He said ASEAN regards cooperation with the United States as vital, given that the country is the largest source of investment and trading partner for the Southeast Asian region.
ASEAN and the United States also share priorities in ensuring trade stability, supply chain resilience, and broad market access for commodities important to production.
Accordingly, strengthening people-to-people and business-to-business ties is key to maintaining ASEAN-US cooperation, particularly through the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the ASEAN-US Centre, in strategic sectors such as the digital economy, he said.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister also stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration in the joint fight against cross-border crime, which has flourished amid advances in cyber technology, such as online fraud.
“As digital connectivity advances, we must also ensure a safe and trusted digital ecosystem,” he added.
Sugiono then urged ASEAN and the United States to continue dialogue and concrete cooperation that has demonstrably supported development in Southeast Asia over recent decades.
“This is the true meaning of ASEAN Centrality, which remains our collective strength. Ensure that this continues to guide our cooperation going forward as we build a more resilient region together,” he said.
Furthermore, the Indonesian Foreign Minister reminded delegates of the importance of upholding the principles of multilateralism and international law in addressing the situation in the Middle East, particularly in pursuing peace for the Palestinian people and ending the conflict in the region.
US-ASEAN relations reached the stage of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022. Meanwhile, total US trade with ASEAN in 2025 reached 552.8 billion US dollars, with US investment into ASEAN amounting to 28.56 billion US dollars in the same year.