Opinion | Asean needs a plan to navigate choppy US-China relations
The regional grouping is at a crossroads, under pressure from its own citizens to do better amid high anxiety over major power competition
For members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the state of US-China relations has profound implications. It is therefore imperative for Asean members to plan for different scenarios that could unfold in the years to come.
Asean is at a crossroads. It is under internal pressure from its own citizens to do more at a time when it also facing increasing doubts over its ability to deliver on the strategic goal of keeping the region peaceful and stable through dialogue and diplomacy.
The emerging and long-term challenges faced by Asean require that member states actively engage civil society, businesses and think tanks to seek ideas and expertise and work collaboratively to co-create solutions, to foster an open and inclusive community that is focused on delivering peace and prosperity for its population.
On September 10, with the support of the Asean Secretariat, the Asean Institutes of Strategic and International Studies network of think tanks held a summit involving a wide spectrum of think tanks from Asean member states and Asean dialogue partners.
The deliberations broadly agreed that for Asean to regain its credibility and centrality, it has to step up efforts and garner the necessary political will to make real progress on the following.
First, there needs to be more connectivity and integration to transform the region into a dynamic, digitally enabled, sustainable and green economy.
Second, more resources are needed to build institutional resilience and strengthen capacity to respond to humanitarian and political crises.
Third, more internal strategic discussions, policy coordination and proactive engagement with dialogue partners are needed to ensure an open and peaceful Indo-Pacific.
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The message that came through loud and clear from the think tanks summit is the need for Asean to revitalise its regional mechanisms and operationalise its Outlook on the Indo-Pacific to ensure that the region remains open and inclusive, and that dialogue and diplomacy, security and development go hand in hand.
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The stakes are high. If the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations fails to navigate the intensifying US-China competition, it could become irrelevant on the world stage, they say.
But that routine may soon become less tenable, according to Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, who predicted it will become increasingly difficult for the Asean bloc to collectively maintain its “passive neutrality” towards the US-China rivalry.
“Ideally, Asean should assert a form of autonomy and agency commensurate with its growing size and projected growth and importance,” he said.
