Rethinking US-Southeast Asia Relations: The China Factor and Beyond

Two critiques still burden America’s relations with Southeast Asia: Southeast Asians tend to resent the American tendency to emphasize China while warning them against the "China threat” lest they succumb to the influence of Beijing. Americans, in turn, tend to object when Southeast Asians hedge their cooperation by tilting toward China while taking advantage of what the US can offer. Responding to American pressure, Southeast Asians warn Washington, “Don’t make us choose.” These and other concerns are taken up by two analysts uniquely well-qualified to discuss them.
Cheng-Chwee Kuik is Professor of International Relations and Head of the Centre for Asian Studies at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies in the National University of Malaysia and a nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Institute of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.
David Shambaugh is the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science, and International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, whose China Policy Program he founded and directs.
Each scholar has written widely on the seminar’s topic. Recent examples include essays by Prof. Kuik-e.g., “Explaining Hedging: The Case of Malaysian Equidistance” (in process, 2024) and “Getting Hedging Right: A Small-State Perspective” (2021)-and the detailed report and recommendations of a Working Group on Southeast Asia led by Prof. Shambaugh, Prioritizing Southeast Asia in American China Policy (Asia Society, 2023), which followed his Where Great Powers Meet: America & China in Southeast Asia (2020).

[@Time4Peace]

Well, the sound system gets better at the later stage but it helps to read the transcipt apart from listening.
It an interesting and stimulating discussion from both speakers and therefore worth the while to endure the sound system!

[@DrLokmanKaradag]

Next time, please consider using a better sound system and adjusting the camera angle for improved quality.

[@Time4Peace]

Sound system is really bad with interfering background noise.

[@Time4Peace]

My take: SE Asia is really very diverse, politically, socially and economically. Therefore, a key tenet they observe is mutual respect and interference of each other. So for America is come into this region and talk about democracy, human rights and freedom of speech is problematic. Why?
Each country has its dynamics and priorities. So most countries would resent pushing these as interference into domestic politics. E.g. Singapore curtails speech on religions because of sensities. Freedom is balanced with the need for harmony.
SE Asians generally see how their neighbours run their nations as their perogatives guided by their circumstances. Trade and investment are ways to collaborate. Therefore, their see China's and US's involvement not as binary but complementary. They therefore resent the need to choose. This is the attraction and anxiety that Cheng spoke of.

[@cliu217]

If ASEAN countries don’t choose between the U.S. and China, it is because they can make that choice. That becomes impossible when one of the powers threatens their existence as is the case when China enforces its ownership claims on their territory. When that happens those countries have no choice but to align with the U.S.

[@robdavie]

The countries asserting their sovereignty rights against China’s claims to the SCS are all from Asia. It is simply nonsensical for anyone to argue that the dispute is simply about the US and China

[@user-vj4sn1hk3n]

So many new words of threat from the two bad boys about Taiwan and Ukraine so……………this was a month ago…………