The second ASEAN-U.S. Cyber Policy Dialogue was held virtually on October 8, 2021, with ASEAN participation coordinated through the ASEAN Cybersecurity Coordinating Committee (ACCC). The Dialogue demonstrated strong partnership and a shared vision of an open, peaceful, interoperable, reliable, and secure cyberspace that supports international trade and commerce, strengthens international security, and fosters economic prosperity, free expression, and innovation. The Dialogue was co-chaired by the United States and Indonesia.
Recalling the ASEAN-U.S. Leaders’ Statement on Cybersecurity Cooperation adopted at the 6th ASEAN-U.S. Summit in November 2018, which reaffirmed our shared vision of “a peaceful, secure, and resilient regional cyberspace,” and the subsequent convening of the first ASEAN-U.S. Cyber Policy Dialogue held in Singapore on October 3, 2019, the Dialogue exchanged views on the regional and international cyber environment, national cyber policies and priorities, including the importance of cybersecurity practices that promote network resiliency across critical infrastructure, joint cooperation in international venues, and our respective cyber capacity building activities in the region.
The Dialogue welcomed the 2021 consensus reports of the Open-ended Working Group on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security and the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace in the Context of International Security and committed to support and implement the framework for responsible state behavior as set out in those reports.
The Dialogue acknowledged the work that has been done in fostering greater regional cybersecurity cooperation and capacity building, as well as the importance of continued implementation of cyber confidence building measures to reduce the risk of misperception and escalation in cyberspace. This includes efforts advanced through the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting, the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Experts’ Working Group on Cyber Security. The Dialogue also committed to increasing efforts on capacity building and regional cybersecurity cooperation as guided by the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy.
The Dialogue also discussed strengthening regional cooperation on cyber capacity building including through initiatives and programmes—such as the ASEAN Cyber Capacity Development Project, Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership, U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership, ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Center, ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, and U.S.-ASEAN Connect Digital Economy Series—and agreed to continue supporting ASEAN in building its capacity to protect critical infrastructure, which includes Industrial Control Systems, and combat cybercrime, as well as to counter the use of ICTs, including the Internet, for terrorist purposes, among other efforts.
The Dialogue advances the cooperation between the United States and ASEAN outlined under the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action, as well as the principles and vision of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.
The Dialogue agreed to explore the possibility of convening the third ASEAN-U.S. Cyber Policy Dialogue in 2022, which ASEAN states will consider in the context of the ACCC. Indonesia will update the upcoming ACCC Meeting on the highlights of the Dialogue.
Source: U.S. Mission to ASEAN