UNGA 79 Recap: Southeast Asia’s Diplomatic Dispatch
Introduction
The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week in September occurred against the backdrop of gridlock in New York and a maelstrom of global conflict and disarray from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to Myanmar. Three key areas of focus emerged from the Southeast Asian countries, eager to contribute the perspectives of small and middle powers to the assembly: Vietnam’s elevated role with the United States and the international business community, deep concern over the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, and pushback against being dragged into the U.S.-China strategic competition.
Overall, the presence of Southeast Asian leaders at this year’s UNGA was light, with only two heads of state from the region making an appearance in New York — Vietnam was represented by its new president Tô Lâm, and longtime ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei spoke at the Summit of the Future prelude to the UNGA. Most other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations were represented by a foreign minister (Sok Chenda Sophea for Cambodia, Retno Marsudi for Indonesia, Mohamad Hasan for Malaysia, Enrique Manalo for the Philippines, Vivian Balakrishnan for Singapore, and Maris Sangiampongsa for Thailand) and Laos by its prime minister, Sonexay Siphandone. Myanmar did not speak during the General Assembly — last September, the United Nations reaffirmed its rejection of the junta’s credentials to represent Myanmar. The pre-coup permanent representative of Myanmar to the UN, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, attended the 79th session, although procedural restrictions prevented him from attending or delivering speeches in the General Debate.
The poor showing by Southeast Asian leaders can be attributed in part to the fact that the annual ASEAN Summit was scheduled for just a week after UNGA’s closing on October 6. Laos, as chair of ASEAN, did not hold a ministerial meeting during the General Assembly in New York. Additionally, many Southeast Asian governments remain in transitional periods before or after transfers of political power — as is the United States. Nevertheless, delegates from the region arrived at the United Nations prepared to grapple with the top issues facing the region and the world.
Vietnam Takes Center Stage
As the sole Southeast Asian head of state in attendance at the General Assembly, Vietnamese President and General Secretary Tô Lâm made a significant impression during his time at the UNGA. Simultaneously holding two of the four most powerful political positions in Vietnam, Tô Lâm had a fast rise to power in May after the death in office of his predecessor. In New York, Tô Lâm emphasized Vietnam’s balanced role between superpowers and touted Vietnam as the next Asian Tiger, namely as a politically safe manufacturing destination for companies de-risking from China.
- Prior to President Tô Lâm’s visit, Vietnam released two prominent political prisoners. Hoàng Thị Minh Hồng, a climate activist, was released after serving one year of a three-year jail sentence for tax evasion. She was the fifth environmentalist in Vietnam to be accused of the same charge in two years. Vietnam also released Trần Huỳnh Duy Thức, a human rights organizer arrested in 2009 for charges in connection with online articles criticizing the Vietnamese government. Controversy related to the 163 political prisoners who remain in Vietnamese prisons followed Tô Lâm in his engagements in New York, especially during his appearance at Columbia University. Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-California) published a letter urging Columbia to rescind its invitation to Lâm, citing repression and the holding of “prisoners of conscience.”
- On September 25, Tô Lâm met with President Biden on the sidelines of the UNGA in what he referred to as a “destined encounter.” Readouts of the meeting said the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation on a range of economic, technology, security, and diplomatic issues, including collaborating to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific and working to combat environmental and nontraditional security challenges across Southeast Asia. President Biden affirmed the U.S. commitment to coordinating with Vietnam to uphold international law and ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea (SCS). By meeting with Biden following recent high-level diplomatic visits to China and Russia, Tô Lâm demonstrated Vietnam's “bamboo diplomacy” — bending with the wind by establishing partnerships with multiple great powers while safeguarding Vietnam’s national independence.
- President Biden dedicated part of his address to the UN General Assembly to lauding the U.S.-Vietnam relationship. After recalling the Cold War era and the Vietnam War, he praised the elevation of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: “It’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity for reconciliation that today the United States and Vietnam are partners and friends, and it’s proof that even from the horrors of war there is a way forward.” The U.S.-Vietnamese relationship served as proof for President Biden that there is a way out of current conflicts around the world, concluding that “things can get better.”
- In a roundtable hosted by the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, Tô Lâm appealed to American business leaders to support Vietnam’s bid to be removed from Washington’s list of nonmarket economies after its application was denied earlier this summer. He encouraged companies to invest in Vietnam to make the United States the top foreign investor in Vietnam, a position currently held by Singapore. During Tô Lâm’s visit, businesses from the two countries signed deals on semiconductors, oil and gas, and aviation.
The Expanding Middle East War: A Leading Concern
As the high-level General Debate took place from September 24 to 30, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East rapidly expanded, as Israel extended its war against Hamas and Hezbollah into Lebanon. The widening war and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza were top of mind for Southeast Asian officials, especially Muslim-majority countries Indonesia and Malaysia, which have championed the Palestinian cause over the past year.
- The Indonesian and Malaysian delegations joined several Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in a coordinated walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's General Assembly speech. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohammad Hasan condemned Israel’s speech, saying Netanyahu “arrogantly and pompously belittled the role of the UN and its agencies.”
- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi made Palestine the focus of her General Assembly speech, declaring that “Indonesia cannot sit back and relax seeing the injustice that continues to be committed against the people of Palestine.” She forcefully criticized Netanyahu for saying in his UNGA speech that Israel seeks peace on the same day Israel “conducted unprecedented massive air attacks on Beirut.” Marsudi called upon states to recognize the state of Palestine and urged the Security Council to “end Israeli impunity.” During UNGA week, Minister Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to discuss Indonesia’s humanitarian assistance to the agency.
- Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Hasan held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Mustafa to affirm his country’s support for the Palestinian cause. The two leaders discussed ways; to implement the UNGA resolution that demands Israel “end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” — a resolution approved by every member of ASEAN. During his General Assembly speech, Hasan called for an immediate arms embargo against Israel and the reinstitution of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (UNSCAA).
- Singapore also focused on the Middle East conflict. Speaking with the press, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that his recent engagements with the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt focused on the conflict. Singapore pledged to continue humanitarian aid to Gaza.
States Warn against Major Power Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific
The desire that great powers avoid heightening geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific was a central theme expressed by Southeast Asian nations. That ASEAN nations want to avoid being drawn into Cold War-style geopolitical conflicts is not new, but it has taken on increased relevance with the growing number of global military conflicts. The risk arising from flashpoints in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait is a top concern for Southeast Asian countries and was a focus in several speeches. Nevertheless, the Philippines and China traded jabs in New York over their dispute in the South China Sea.
- Cambodia warned that missteps in various geopolitical flashpoints might “trigger a regional or even global war,” potentially involving the use of nuclear weapons. Deputy Prime Minister Chenda Sophea Sok referenced Cambodia’s history as a war-torn nation to call for the importance of peace and international law.
- Indonesia called for global “leadership without hegemony.” Foreign Minister Marsudi cited Indonesia’s hosting of the Bandung Conference, which became a feature of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and argued that the Bandung spirit of solidarity and collective responsibility should guide countries in addressing global challenges. Indonesia blamed geopolitical tensions for impacting global supply chains and thus preventing economic development in the Global South.
- Laos argued that geopolitical tensions were becoming more confrontational and were widening divisions.
- Malaysia said that as the upcoming chair of ASEAN for 2025, it will fortify ASEAN centrality to prevent the region from “becoming entrapped in unnecessary geopolitical rivalry or possible escalation.” Speaking on the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Hasan indicated that Malaysia must not “allow the situation to become dominated by growing distrust” and called upon countries to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), without mentioning China by name.
- Singapore positioned itself as an advocate for small states, for which multilateralism and international law are an “existential necessity.” Foreign Minister Balakrishnan stated firmly that Singapore has “no interest in taking sides or getting embroiled in great power rivalry” and that the region must not become an “arena for proxy wars.”
- Vietnam listed strategic competition among major powers as a serious challenge for the world. President Tô Lâm said that “particularly the major powers” need to observe international law and the UN Charter.
- The Philippines strongly condemned the narrative that the South China Sea is “a theater of major power rivalry,” denying China’s claim that the United States is using the Philippines as a proxy to attack China. Delegates from the Philippines and China clashed over the South China Sea during General Assembly debates: China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said that the recent escalation in the SCS was “entirely the responsibility of the Philippines” and criticized the “fallacious ruling” of the tribunal that declared China’s maritime territorial claims unfounded. The Philippines cited UNCLOS and the 2016 ruling as having legally settled claims in the SCS and criticized China’s “unlawful actions” that have caused “serious incidents” in the region.
- Prior to the UNGA, the Philippines announced it would host a meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly with at least 20 other countries "to talk some sense" into China over its confrontations in the South China Sea. However, there is no indication this took place. The Philippines also said it would file a resolution with the UNGA on its territorial claim in the South China Sea; it has yet to be filed.
Looking Forward to the ASEAN Summit
As Southeast Asian leaders gather at the ASEAN Summit in Laos after stressing the association’s centrality in their speeches to the UNGA, they will confront a number of problems that continue to plague the region and call into question ASEAN’s effectiveness.
Top of mind for the leaders will be the ongoing war in Myanmar, which received little focus at the UNGA aside from passing acknowledgments alongside the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and other conflicts. While leaders pledged to implement the 2021 ASEAN Five-Point Consensus to cease violence in their General Assembly speeches, ASEAN has yet to make progress toward resolving the conflict in Myanmar. Similarly, it will also have to address increasing tensions in the South China Sea and manage internal disputes over how to deal with China’s expansive territorial claims.