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China and the US step up their tug of war for Southeast Asian allies
- While senior officials from Washington toured the region this week China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was wooing Asean
- Southeast Asian countries are reluctant to pick a side but the pressure is intensifying
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Laura Zhouin Beijing
Pressure is intensifying on Southeast Asian nations to pick a side as China and the US step up their efforts to woo the regional players as part of their bitter rivalry.
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The dilemma was underscored over the past week, when US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin became the first US cabinet minister from the current administration to visit the region. While he stressed that Washington was “not asking countries in the region to choose between the US and China”, he did not shy away from chiding Beijing.
“Unfortunately, Beijing’s unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isn’t just occurring on the water,” Austin said, referring to the competing claims in the South China Sea.
“We have also seen aggression against India … destabilising military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan … and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang.”
It remains to be seen whether Austin’s assurances will ease concerns that Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once described as “Southeast Asian countries … being forced into invidious choices” but the purpose of the defence secretary’s visit was clear – to strengthen the US partnership with regional powers amid Washington’s diplomatic stand-off with Beijing.
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