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ASEAN needs to promote the region as a nuclear-free zone to maintain its commitment to nonalignment amid geopolitical tensions, according to analysts. Indonesia, this year’s rotating chair of ASEAN, is negotiating with China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. The negotiations come amid concerns over the trilateral AUKUS cooperation on nuclear submarines. Experts say there is a “convergence of interests” between China and ASEAN in maintaining a nuclear-free Southeast Asia for regional stability.
The SEANWFZ Treaty, signed by all ASEAN members in 1995, forbids members from developing, manufacturing, or acquiring nuclear weapons, stationing or transporting nuclear weapons, or testing or using nuclear weapons. Signatories are also barred from discharging radioactive materials or waste and can only use nuclear material and facilities for peaceful purposes, following guidelines and standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The treaty entered into force in 1997, but none of the five recognized nuclear-armed states have acceded to the protocol.
China, the first nuclear-armed state to express interest in signing the protocol, has said it supports ASEAN’s efforts to build a nuclear weapons-free zone. Experts hope that China’s decision will encourage other nuclear-armed countries to follow suit. Should the protocol be signed, it may make it difficult for AUKUS nuclear submarines to enter the South China Sea. Indonesia has expressed concerns over AUKUS and stated that it expects Australia to comply with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards.
Contact the reporters at [email protected]. Leonardus Jegho is a freelance journalist for China Daily.
