PM Jacinda Ardern arrives for East Asia Summit: ‘Storm clouds’ over region

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Cambodia for a major summit, saying she will speak about the impact the war in Ukraine is having globally - and renew her criticism of the military junta in Myanmar.

Ardern arrived in Phnom Penh ahead of the East Asia Summit late last night and headed straight in for the gala dinner for the leaders of many of the 18 countries taking part in the summit later today - including super powers Russia, China and the US.

Ardern will speak in the meetings later today.

“I will be looking to make very firm statements on the wider conflict which is having an impact on our region, particularly on food security and energy security. That is the war on Ukraine.”

On Myanmar, which has been under military rule since a coup in 2021, Ardern said of the conflicts, it was “possibly the most vexed for this region”.

She said it was testing the ability to reach a consensus among the region’s leaders because of the differing positions held.

On the eve of the summit, Ardern said she welcomed the participation of Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba at Asean in the lead-up to the EAS - and the resulting signing by Ukraine of a treaty of cooperation with the Asean bloc of countries.

She expected the leaders to canvas economic and security challenges in the region - from war to the cost of living.

“There are a number of clouds the East Asia Summit is having to deal with. The war in Ukraine, the situation in Myanmar, the economic environment which all nations are grappling within in this region as well.

“Then add to that what has been for some time now the geo-strategic tension that exists as well. And yes, there has been some tension between the likes of the United States and China, but it is not the only issue this region is grappling with.”

The EAS is a grouping of the 10 South East Asian countries which form Asean, plus eight others with interests in the region: the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia, South Korea, and India.

US President Joe Biden is at the summit as well as China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang. China’s President Xi Jinping will attend a G20 meeting in Indonesia next week as well as Apec - which Ardern is also attending, and where she is likely to speak with Xi.

Ardern said in any conversation with President Xi she would be “consistent”.

“[We] reflect on areas of strength and where we cooperate well, often those are in the trade space and increasingly we are seeking to work together in the climate and biodiversity space, and then there are areas of difference on issues like human rights, the Uyghur people and, of course, what we see as ongoing strategic competition in our region.”

The week of summits will also be a chance for Ardern to catch up with leaders from many of the CPTPP countries.

While there are not expected to be any official CPTPP-related meetings, New Zealand and Australia have also been in talks in the lead-up to the summit over an upgrade to the existing free trade deal between Australia, New Zealand and the Asean grouping: New Zealand’s third largest trading bloc.

That upgrade was aimed at smoothing the entry of goods at borders rather than opening new market access.

Ardern said one of her main priorities at the summit would be trying to stop other countries retreating from free trade in response to the Ukraine war’s impact on food and energy security.

She pointed to countries that were yet to ratify the CPTPP, or who were resisting the market access it provided, saying those were areas of focus for her.