1. The State of Southeast Asia 2024 survey:
More than half of south-east Asians would now prefer to align with China over the US if Asean were forced to choose between the rival superpowers, according to a regional survey by a Singapore-based think-tank, reflecting Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
According to the State of Southeast Asia 2024 survey compiled by the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, 50.5 per cent of respondents opted for China and 49.5 per cent preferred the US if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had to pick sides — the first time Beijing edged past Washington since the annual survey started asking the question in 2020.
Last year’s survey showed 38.9 per cent preferred China and 61.1 per cent chose the US.
The think-tank’s flagship survey polls people from the private and public sectors, as well as academics and researchers in south-east Asia to present prevailing attitudes among those in a position to inform or influence policy on regional issues.
“It seems like this is the beginning of a trend as . . . this is the first time China has actually [edged past the US],” said Danny Quah, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. “But if we look at the underlying data, it is actually more like a see-saw pattern than a trend.”
Among the 10 Asean countries, the possible alignment to China was most evident among respondents from Malaysia, at 75.1 per cent, followed by Indonesia and Laos at 73.2 per cent and 70.6 per cent. They have all benefited significantly from China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative and robust trade relations.
Washington gained strong support from the Philippines and Vietnam at 83.3 per cent and 79 per cent, which in part reflects tensions the two have with China due to overlapping claims in the South China Sea. (Sources: iseas.edu.sg. ft.com
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Political News Items to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.