NVDB005_-_CH_3.005_U.S.-China_Competition_-_Sovinda_Po-3

Diplomatic Briefing — KAS Cambodia and CICP

36 — DP Vol. 05

U.S.-China Competition

There are two aspects ASEAN may consider in terms of uniting itself as a single collective entity. First, more developed ASEAN member countries should encourage greater economic interaction with their less developed partners. They should invest more in and exchange more goods and services with other less advanced ASEAN members. For instance, Singapore and Malaysia should invest in and encourage greater bilateral trade with Cambodia and Laos. At the same time, more developed ASEAN members should also provide more scholarships to students from less advanced ASEAN members. This is particularly important because, as countries remain relatively self-reliant, their foreign policy is less influenced by the need to please certain powers for economic gains.

Second, in the short and medium-term, ASEAN must engage all powers, not just the US and China, in order to play a stabilizing role in the US-China relationship. This includes Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and the European Union. At the time of writing, there are already existing efforts to engage these middle powers, but more is needed to ensure that they are all on board with ASEAN, especially their support for ASEAN centrality.

After all, the unity of ASEAN is a determining factor in terms of whether the region can weather this heated power competition between the world’s two largest powers.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman participate in the ASEAN leaders working lunch at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C, on May 13, 2022 [State Department photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain