Western powers bring ‘little’ value to Asean defence forum, may fan China tensions: analysts
Experts say adding Canada, France and the UK to Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus could dilute the platform’s ‘effectiveness’
Defence ministers from the 10-member bloc are convening in Laos on Wednesday to discuss potential new representatives for the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
The platform, established in 2010 to promote regional peace and stability, currently has eight non-Asean members: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
While Ottawa, Paris and London’s efforts reflect their growing interest in the Indo-Pacific region and Asean’s strategic importance, bringing them into the group’s fold would “do little” to strengthen the ADMM-Plus, said Jeffrey Reeves, associate professor at the US Naval War College.
“Their inevitable alignment with the US and its allies – Australia, Japan and South Korea – also suggests they wouldn’t provide any immediate strategic value beyond reinforcing the already predominant global West perspective,” Reeves said.
He questioned the regional strategic intentions of the trio who have largely focused on countering Chinese “aggression”, including maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait.
