Thailand's foreign minister has said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cannot remain neutral on every question, even as the bloc refuses to take sides in the rivalry between the United States and China. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, who is also Thailand's deputy prime minister, made the remarks in an interview with CNA on the sidelines of the ISEAS Roundtable in Singapore on 5 November, days before ASEAN leaders gather in Manila.

"We're not going to take sides definitely, (but) at the same time, we cannot be neutral all the time because we also have to make decisions consistent with what we consider to be our interests," Sihasak said. He added that ASEAN had to remain united in navigating competition among major powers, particularly China and the United States, while keeping the flexibility to engage with all partners.

Strategic autonomy through wider partnerships

Sihasak argued that ASEAN should deepen ties beyond the two largest powers to protect its freedom of choice. "We want to engage the other major powers who have interest in the region: India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the European Union. This will allow us to have greater strategic autonomy and greater freedom of choice," he said. The remarks come days before ASEAN leaders gather in Manila from 15 to 18 November.

The Thai minister also called for a more responsive ASEAN, saying the bloc should strengthen its ability to act more quickly in times of crisis and to make timely decisions. He pointed to energy and food security as areas where the region needed stronger safeguards, noting that the conflict in the Middle East had underlined the value of existing arrangements such as petroleum security measures and emergency rice reserves. Longer-term work, he said, should include expanding the ASEAN Power Grid and increasing the use of clean and renewable energy.

"ASEAN has to rise to the occasion," Sihasak said. "The challenges we face now are not challenges like we faced in the past. These are challenges that are converging at once, and the world is also going through a major transformation." On ASEAN centrality, he said it meant keeping peace within Southeast Asia and contributing to stability in the wider Indo-Pacific region, adding that he hoped Washington and Beijing would keep working to stabilise their relationship.

Myanmar visit on 12 November

Sihasak will travel to Myanmar on Thursday, 12 November, to push for de-escalation in the country's civil war and to assess its readiness to re-engage with ASEAN ahead of the Manila summit. He is due to meet Myanmar's foreign minister, Tin Maung Swe, and a meeting with the country's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, was also said to be in the works. Myanmar is expected to send a senior civil servant to the Manila summit rather than a political leader.

Myanmar's leaders have effectively been excluded from ASEAN's high-level meetings since the bloc decided in 2021 to invite only non-political representatives, after the military coup and the failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus peace plan agreed by ASEAN leaders in April 2021. The five points call for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties, mediation by a special envoy of the ASEAN chair, humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre, and a visit by the special envoy to meet all parties concerned.

Sihasak told CNA it was still too early to determine whether Myanmar's leaders could eventually return to high-level ASEAN meetings. "Our goal is to have Myanmar return to ASEAN, because ASEAN is not a complete family without the participation of Myanmar," he said, while adding that Myanmar had to work hard to regain its place and that the decision would depend on developments inside the country and a collective decision by ASEAN member states. He said he would carry that message during his visit to Naypyidaw, while expressing hope for progress on the Five-Point Consensus.

Border clashes add urgency

The visit also follows fresh tension on the Thai-Myanmar border. Thailand said on 4 November that clashes between Myanmar's military and armed opposition groups along the shared border had caused property damage and wounded a Thai civilian inside Thailand. Sihasak said de-escalation by all parties would help create conditions for dialogue and the peace process, and that any progress would be a positive factor for ASEAN leaders to consider in Manila when deciding how to move forward on Myanmar, including its participation in ASEAN meetings.

Sihasak last visited Myanmar in April. Min Aung Hlaing became civilian president in April after elections that monitors widely dismissed as a charade. Asked whether Myanmar's leaders could be allowed back by the time Thailand assumes the ASEAN chairmanship from Singapore in 2028, Sihasak said it would depend on how the situation in Myanmar evolves and on a collective ASEAN decision.