US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Indonesia on September 7, creating an opportunity for direct, high-level diplomacy between the powers.

The meeting was a chance for Washington and Beijing to engage, a day after Premier Li Qiang warned major powers to resolve their differences to avoid a “new Cold War”.

The East Asia Summit – a side event of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta – also comes days before the G20 Summit in New Delhi, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will be absent.

Interactions between officials from the world’s top two economies are being closely watched as they seek to manage tensions that could flare up again over issues ranging from Taiwan to relations with Moscow and the competition for influence in the Pacific.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, in his opening remarks reminded the leaders attending of their “great responsibility in creating peace, stability and prosperity in the region.” Indonesia currently chairs ASEAN.

“I ask... the leaders at the East Asia Summit to make this a forum for us to strengthen cooperation and not to increase competition,” Jokowi said, stressing the need to “melt the icy atmosphere to create space for dialogue and narrow the existing differences.”

The 18th East Asia Summit in Jakarta is the first time top US and Russian officials have sat at the same table in nearly two months, after US and European officials condemned Mr Lavrov at a ministerial meeting in July over Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

Earlier on September 6, Vice President Harris and Premier Li Keqiang held separate talks with Southeast Asian leaders, where Harris discussed “support for international law in the South China Sea,” a statement from her office said.

In addition to the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States, China and Russia, the East Asia Summit was also attended by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese .

Minh Duc (According to France24, Anadolu Agency)