Southeast Asians swing towards China alignment as pro-Israel bias hurts US, new survey shows

China saw a surge in popularity among respondents to the sixth ‘State of Southeast Asia’ survey – even though distrust in Beijing also ticked higher

Analysts say many in the region have ‘diminished confidence’ in the US upholding an international rules-based order because of the Israel-Gaza war

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A Palestinian walks past al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Monday after the Israeli army withdrew from the building following a two-week military operation. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:00am, 2 Apr 2024Updated: 12:13pm, 2 Apr 2024

For the first time, more people in Southeast Asia favour alignment with China over the United States, according to a new survey – driven by disillusionment with Washington’s foreign-policy actions and the economic benefits of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, among other factors.

The Americans’ “strong, almost unquestioning” pro-Israel stance on the Gaza war, in particular, had led to “diminished confidence in US moderation and deliberation”, said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

“This extends beyond the fact that there are large Muslim populations in Southeast Asia. US willingness to hold up and veto UN processes looking at Israeli behaviour have decreased trust in Washington’s commitment to the current rules-based international order,” Chong said.

The sixth edition of “The State of Southeast Asia” study was led by researchers from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and surveyed close to 2,000 Southeast Asians from January to February on key issues facing the region.

China saw a significant surge in popularity among respondents, with 50.5 per cent indicating that the Asian giant is their preferred choice of alignment compared with the US, up from 38.9 per cent a year earlier.

Conversely, the US saw a drop in popularity from 61.1 per cent last year to 49.5 per cent in the latest study.

China’s influence in the region was expected to “grow in the years to come if there is no balancer in the region”, said Sharon Seah, a senior fellow and coordinator of Asean studies at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

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