Shangri-La Dialogue: ex-Malaysian minister says Asean ‘very nervous’ about Taiwan as US-China rivalry looms over forum

The heightened tensions are hanging over the defence conference in Singapore as Beijing and Washington find it harder to reach common ground on issues including Taiwan

The region is also warily eyeing the war of attrition unfolding in Ukraine as a stark warning of what could happen if the two rivals don’t stabilise ties

Reading Time:4 minutes

A reservist takes part in a defence training drill in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:45am, 2 Jun 2023Updated: 11:47am, 2 Jun 2023

Asian leaders accustomed to straddling the US-China divide are increasingly nervous that tensions between the world’s two superpowers could spiral toward conflict, with a series of decisions on both sides making it harder for Beijing and Washington to find common ground.

A defence conference in Singapore this week that could have served as a bridge between the two sides looks instead like it will further highlight the rift over issues including Taiwan, restrictions on high-end chips and China’s claims to a large swathe of the South China Sea.

“A lot of us in Southeast Asia are very nervous about Taiwan, seriously,” said Saifuddin Abdullah, a former Malaysian foreign minister whose remarks were echoed by other regional leaders. “We’re very nervous.”

The heightened geopolitical tensions are hanging over business ties between the world’s biggest economies, which are trading goods with each other at record levels even as Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping move to become more self-reliant in key areas.

China has rolled out the red carpet in recent days for global business leaders including Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon, the chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., in an effort to allay fears the nation is becoming more hostile to foreign capital.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x