China warns ASEAN countries to avoid being used as ‘chess pieces’ by big powers

JAKARTA: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned during a policy speech in the Indonesian capital on Monday that countries in the region were at risk of being reshaped by geopolitical factors as “chess pieces” by major powers. Use should be avoided.
Speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Wang, who was speaking through a translator, said there is pressure on many countries in the region to take sides.