Southeast Asia seeking ‘balance’ between US and China in region, report concludes
- Tsinghua University says countries welcome greater involvement by Washington but they won’t reduce ties with Beijing
- Report says countries that ‘lack trust’ or have disputes with China will welcome US military involvement
The Philippines and the United States have a long-standing Mutual Defence Treaty and take part in joint training exercises each year.
China ‘open’ to defence ministers’ talks with US during Asean security forum
The report said Asean “welcomes different major powers in the region to ensure that there are checks and balances”.
“Countries that have territorial sovereignty and maritime rights disputes with China, and those with a lack of trust in China’s role in the region following its rise will actively invite and accommodate the deployment of US military”.
The report said the US engagement with the region is aimed at “exhausting China’s strategic resources”.
It said China’s relations with Asean has been increasing, with the bloc becoming the country’s largest trading partner. China’s imports from Singapore for the first quarter of 2022, for example, reached US$9.3 billion, making an increase of 5.8 per cent.
But the US and Asean established a comprehensive strategic partnership last year, with the US pledging to provide more aid and training for defence sector professionals.
Asean is also part of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which focuses on trade, supply chains, clean energy, decarbonisation and infrastructure tax and anti-corruption.
Asean officials and critics have expressed concerns over being dragged into the conflict between China and the US, and have called on the two nations to get along.
“I don’t work for Beijing, I don’t work for Washington DC, I work for the Philippines,” he said. “That really translates into a very simple statement of foreign policy, which is: I promote the national interest.”
Tough road ahead for Asean chair Indonesia over Myanmar, South China Sea issues
The report added that regional countries would refrain from taking sides.
“Asean knows well that only by developing a balanced relationship with China and the United States can it play its own role. Therefore, it refuses to choose sides and refuses to weaken the cooperation agenda with China in order to cater to the United States,” it said.
Additional reporting by Reuters