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OpinionComment

What the US can (and can’t) do to keep Asean united

Simon Tay says as Southeast Asian leaders prepare for the upcoming US summit, the Obama administration will need to work to balance the needs of the group’s diverse membership while seeking to avoid antagonising Beijing, particularly over South China Sea disputes

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Simon Tay
The Obama administration should be credited with giving closer attention not just to giants like China, but also to Asean members.
The Obama administration should be credited with giving closer attention not just to giants like China, but also to Asean members.
Asean leaders are due to converge in the US for a summit with President Barack Obama this month. The Sunnylands summit, late in Obama’s last term in office, is a marker of the American pivot to the region. His administration should be credited with giving closer attention not just to giants like China, Japan and India, but also to the 10 medium-sized and smaller countries of the region.

READ MORE: US says Asean summit Obama plans to host this month is ‘not anti-China’

It was Obama, after all, who inaugurated the US-Asean leaders’ meeting in 2009, and evolved it into a series of summits.

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President Xi Jinping and Barack Obama walk in the grounds of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, California, which is also the setting for the US president’s summit with Asean leaders later this month. Photo: Reuters
President Xi Jinping and Barack Obama walk in the grounds of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, California, which is also the setting for the US president’s summit with Asean leaders later this month. Photo: Reuters
If Washington can truly support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the hub for the wider region, a greater sense of participation and less conflict can be the result. The new Asean Community, while far from perfect, shows greater economic cooperation and habits of peaceful cooperation.
Many may think that the US support for Asean unity is merely instrumental, a rallying call against Beijing

Just last month, US Secretary of State John Kerry called for Asean unity while visiting Laos, the current chair of the group. But reaching out can be read in the context of controversies over the South China Sea, where China has claims to territories that overlap and conflict with claims by four Asean member states.

Very recently, US forces conducted a freedom of navigation exercise into waters that China claims. Military alliances in the region, especially with Japan and the Philippines, have also been re-emphasised. Many may therefore think that the US support for Asean unity is merely instrumental, a rallying call against Beijing.

US Secretary of State John Kerry greets embassy staff during his trip to Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Reuters
US Secretary of State John Kerry greets embassy staff during his trip to Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Reuters
To give the US-Asean relationship a stronger foundation, there are things that can and should be done by the US, as well as things that should be avoided.
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On the South China Sea issue, Washington should support Asean efforts to negotiate a code of conduct with China, to prevent escalation. But it must be a united Asean that leads on this; the group’s position cannot be dictated by any single claimant to the disputed areas. Nor will it help if China seems confronted by America and its allies.

READ MORE: California, here we come: date set for first-ever Asean summit hosted by a US president

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