Brian Y. S. Wong

Opinion | US-China tensions: Asean playbook shows how small states can navigate big power rivalry

Asean has carved its own path with shrewd balancing, hedging and consolidation, showing that small and medium-sized powers can navigate the increasingly turbulent dynamics between the two countries

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The leaders of Asean countries join hands during the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 5, 2023. Photo: AFP

Brian Y. S. Wong

Published: 9:30am, 21 Jan 2024Updated: 12:56pm, 21 Jan 2024

On December 30, one day before Indonesia’s Asean chairmanship lapsed, the region’s foreign ministers issued a statement articulating their “concern” over “recent developments in the South China Sea that may undermine peace, security, and stability in the region”.

This statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations came after months of escalating tensions between Chinese and Filipino vessels, amid growing concern that the region would be dragged into US-China strategic competition. It affirmed Southeast Asian sovereignty in “our maritime sphere” and pressed for restraint.

It is tempting to view the Sino-American rivalry as a zero-sum, two-player game. Yet the US and China make up only 22 per cent of the world’s population. Regional powers, even small and medium-sized states, can and should exercise their agency in navigating the increasingly turbulent dynamics between the two countries. Their people deserve better than their governments’ passive acquiescence to a polarised world order.

Countries can take a leaf out of Asean’s playbook. Despite its economic intertwinement with and proximity to China, and strategic and military ties with the United States, Southeast Asia has carved its own path. Through shrewd balancing, hedging and consolidation, Southeast Asian nations show that small and medium-sized powers deserve a seat at the table.

First, Asean states are adept practitioners of dynamic balancing. They not only position themselves as uniquely useful and open to collaboration with both Beijing and Washington but also ensure the region remains neutral with no overarching tilt.

The former manifests best in the pro-trade courting of foreign investment from both the US private sector and China’s state-owned and private enterprises.