East Asia Summit for peace amid tense South China Sea

In what is seen as a message aimed at growing tensions in the South China Sea, leaders of 18 Indo-Pacific nations, including India, reaffirmed their commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for international law, as they adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration at the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS).

Meeting in the Malaysian capital, the leaders declared that the EAS — bringing together ASEAN member states along with India, the US, China, Russia, Japan and others — would continue to serve as the region’s apex, leaders-led forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation.

The emphasis on peaceful resolution of disputes in the declaration was widely viewed as a veiled reference to Beijing’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea, which drew sharp criticism during the summit. Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr had during his address openly raised concerns about continuing incidents in the West Philippine Sea that endangered Filipino lives and the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft, saying such actions violated the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and obstructed Manila’s legitimate activities in its own maritime zones.

The Kuala Lumpur Declaration reaffirmed that the EAS — the apex, leaders-led forum for strategic and political dialogue — would remain anchored in ASEAN’s centrality, and continue to promote multilateralism, mutual trust and adherence to international law, including the UN Charter and the 2011 Bali Principles on mutually beneficial relations.

It underscored that EAS leaders “commit to enhance dialogue and uphold international law in the region,” stressing the importance of “settlement of differences and disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law,” and of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia.

The leaders also pledged to retain the informal and candid nature of the EAS, allowing for open exchanges among leaders on regional security, political, and economic challenges. They agreed to enhance practical cooperation through joint projects under the EAS Plan of Action (2024–2028), aligned with the long-term vision of “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future.”

India, represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, expressed strong support for implementing the new Plan of Action in tandem with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) — a framework closely reflecting India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).

The declaration also called for greater economic cooperation among EAS participating countries to bolster regional resilience against economic challenges and to narrow development gaps, signalling concern over the growing economic fragmentation and supply chain vulnerabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

Adopted on the 20th anniversary of the EAS’s founding declaration in 2005, the Kuala Lumpur statement comes at a time when the region is witnessing heightened maritime tensions, sharpening great-power rivalry, and growing pressure on ASEAN unity.