My Take | Nations in Southeast Asia want peace and trade, not war
- They don’t want to be sucked into the US-led anti-China crusade but are ready to mediate in the superpower rivalry. They must not be undermined or ignored
The Asean countries – which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – have taken a neutral and nuanced position in the rivalry between the United States and China. It’s time they spoke out loudly.
Few people are more qualified to explain the Asean position than Dino Patti Djalal, former Indonesian ambassador to the US, and ex-deputy foreign minister.
“They do not want to see a heightened US-Chinese rivalry in Southeast Asia,” he wrote. “Asean countries do not want to be polarised … and see [their] cohesion undermined. [They] are hoping that the Biden administration will lower the temperature, tone, and tension … and keep the rivalry manageable.
“It is in the national interest of Asean countries to maintain good relations with both the United States and China. They all want to extract benefits from both powers.”
They understand they will be living next to China for a long, long time.
“Southeast Asia’s perspective on China is different from that of the United States,” Dino wrote.
