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Too little, too late for US ‘recommitment’ to Mekong countries? China’s already there
- As Beijing floods the Mekong with much-needed cash, the US finds itself pushing back against the tide to retain influence
- But some nations in the region think the competition can work to their advantage
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US officials say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will “recommit” the United States to supporting the five countries along Southeast Asia’s longest river, the Mekong, when he makes his first duty visit to Bangkok in July.
Pompeo has voiced concern that China has tried to “steadily salami-slice its way to control” in the region. Mark Clark, acting deputy assistant secretary for Southeast Asia at the state department, said his boss planned to highlight what had been achieved in the past decade by the US-backed Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI).
Pompeo will attend a ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and lead talks on the LMI, which was launched 10 years ago by his predecessor Hillary Clinton to boost cooperation between Washington and Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
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But experts warn the American pledge might be too little, too late given China’s entrenched interests in the area.
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Brian Eyler, director of the Washington-based Stimson Centre’s Southeast Asia programme, said the US had promoted its foreign policy goals in the region largely behind the scenes, despite a push by Mekong nations for “real and tangible” pacts with the US.
“There’s little the LMI can hang its hat on,” Eyler said. “The low level of engagement created a large gap for China to fill with its Lancang-Mekong Cooperation [LMC] mechanism.”
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