ASEAN’s Strategic Response to the US–China Competition

Abstract

The strategic rivalry between the US and China has posed a significant challenge for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member states. Facing a situation in which the US security role is very important for regional stability and at the same time economic ties with China are also crucial, most regional states in Southeast Asia adopt a hedging strategy. Despite the fact that different regional countries’ hedging tactics may be slightly different, they share a fundamental similarity—the combination of engagement and balancing. Regional states also try hard to maintain ASEAN centrality in managing regional multilateralism as a strategic response to US–China competition. These two strategic approaches can be illustrated in ASEAN’s reactions to a wide range of important issues in the region, including security challenges such as the South China Sea disputes, economic integration such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, technological development such as 5G and regional order contestations such as the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. As US–China strategic rivalry intensifies, ASEAN countries are increasingly feeling the pressures coming from the two major powers on their hedging posture and centrality.KeywordsUS–China relationsASEAN external relationsSouth China Sea disputesBelt and Road InitiativeFree and Open Indo-Pacific