U.S. loses its spot to China as Southeast Asia’s most favored ally, survey shows

A
majority
of
Southeast
Asians
would
align
with
China
and
not
the
U.S.
if
forced
to
pick
sides,
though
some
countries
that
feel
threatened
by
Beijing’s
South
China
Sea
claims
still
prefer
Washington,

according
to
a
regional
survey.

This
is
the
first
time
Beijing
has
edged
past
Washington
since
2020
when
the
annual
survey
first
posed
the
question.
The
U.S.
as
a
preferred
choice
dropped
to
49.5%
from
61.1%
last
year.

The
survey
was
conducted
by
Singapore-based
think
tank
ASEAN
Studies
Centre
at
ISEAS–Yusof
Ishak
Institute
between
Jan.
3
and
Feb.
23
with
1,994
respondents
from
academia,
business,
government,
civil
society
and
the
media.

Respondents
were
from
the
Association
of
Southeast
Asian
Nations,
with
the
highest
number
of
participants
from
Singapore
and
Indonesia.

China
at
over
50%
emerged
as
the
most
strategically
relevant
partner
for
ASEAN,
edging
past
the
U.S.,
while
Japan
continues
to
be
the
most
trusted
major
power
in
the
region,
the
survey
revealed.

China
and
ASEAN
have
mutually
been
the
largest
trading
partners
for
four
consecutive
years,
with
trade
volume
reaching
$911.7
billion
in
2023.

However,
half
of
the
respondents
also
expressed
distrust
toward
China,
with
45.5%
saying
that
they
fear
Beijing
could
use
its
economic
and
military
power
to
threaten
their
country’s
interest
and
sovereignty,
the
report
said.

China’s
aggressive
behavior
in
the
South
China
Sea
is
the
Philippines’
(90.2%)
and
Vietnam’s
(72.5%)
top
concern,
the
region’s
two
frontline
South
China
Sea
claimant
states.

The
Philippines
President
Ferdinand
Marcos
Jr.

told
Bloomberg
last
month
that
his
government’s
claims
on
certain
parts
of
the
South
China
sea
should
not
be
viewed
as
provoking
China.

“This
is
not
poking
the
bear,
as
it
were.
We
are
trying
to
do
quite
the
opposite.
We
are
trying
to
keep
things
at
a
manageable
level,
to
continue
the
dialogue,
whatever
they
are,
at
every
level,”
he
said.

Vietnam
has
also
asserted
sovereignty
over
islands
in
the
South
China
Sea
though
Beijing
has
brushed
aside
those
claims.

The
survey
revealed
the
U.S.
still
holds
majority
support
among
The
Philippines
(83.3%)
and
Vietnam
(79%)
respondents,
who
are
inclined
to
align
with
the
U.S.
over
China.

“While
China
has
gained
some
ground
in
Southeast
Asia
in
terms
of
garnering
favorable
public
perception,
it
is
worth
noting
that
some
of
its
most
acute
territorial
disputes
are
also
located
in
the
region,”
said
Kenddrick
Chan
of
LSE
IDEAS,
the
foreign
policy
think-tank
of
the
London
School
of
Economics
and
Political
Science.

ASEAN
should
build
up
its
resilience
and
unity
to
fend
off
pressures
from
the
two
major
powers,
the
U.S.
and
China,
nearly
half
of
the
survey
respondents
said.

Global
macroeconomic
uncertainty
continues
to
be
a
concern
for
the
region,
with
a
majority
of
Southeast
Asians
(57.7%)
fearing
unemployment
and
an
economic
recession.
China’s
economic
slowdown
might
have
driven
those
concerns,
according
to
the
survey.

Other
concerns
include
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
in
October
2023
and
the
subsequent
Houthi
attacks
in
the
Red
Sea.
Though
geographically,
they
may
be
happening
far
away,
the
impacts
are
felt
through
supply
chain
disruptions
which
may
directly
impact
energy
and
food
prices.

“This
year’s
survey
results
clearly
reflect
heightened
regional
concerns
over
economic
issues
and
the
risk
that
unrestrained
geopolitical
rivalry
that
can
adversely
affect
the
region’s
interests
in
the
short
to
medium
term,”
Choi
Shing
Kwok,
director
and
CEO
at
ISEAS-Yusof
Ishak
Institute
said
in
a

statement.

“At
the
same
time,
the
results
also
tell
us
that
the
region
remains
hopeful
that
major
powers
can
cooperate
on
issues
of
mutual
benefit
and
welcomes
other
major
powers
in
the
region
to
engage
more
closely
with
ASEAN.”

Chinese
President
Xi
Jinping
met
with
Indonesia’s
president-elect
Prabowo
Subianto
on
Monday
for
talks,
according
to

Xinhua
news
agency.

Xi
said
China
views
its
relations
with
Indonesia
from
a
strategic
and
long-term
perspective,
and
is
willing
to
deepen
all-round
strategic
cooperation
with
Indonesia.

Beijing
on
Monday
said

ministers
from
Laos,
Vietnam
and
Timor-Leste
will
separately
visit
China
from
April
2
to
5
at
the
invitation
of
Chinese
Foreign
Minister
Wang
Yi,
in
a
bid
to
shore
up
cooperation.