Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose nation is hosting this year’s G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, has already earned the ire of Western elites by his insistence that the summit be open to all members, emphatically including Russia. Though Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to attend the G20 this year and instead sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Widodo is continuing to insist upon a neutral and non-geopolitical stance going into the summit.
Last week at the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, Widodo said that Southeast Asia “must be a dignified region” and resist “a new Cold War in our region.” He continued, saying “ASEAN must become a peaceful region and anchor for global stability, consistently uphold international law and not be a proxy to any powers. ASEAN should not let the current geopolitical dynamic turn into a new Cold War in our region.”
