New survey shows growing support for siding with either US or China in a region increasingly split on superpower lines
Southeast Asians are still reluctant to take sides when it comes to US-China rivalry in their region, according to the latest 2022 State of Southeast Asia survey by the respected ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
More than a 10th of respondents in a regionwide survey published this month said they think “remaining neutral is impractical” and that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc must choose between the two superpowers.
“Hedging is a luxury middle powers cannot afford for long, especially when the stakes are high, superpowers are pushy and the rivalry is intensifying,” said Rahul Mishra, a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya’s Asia-Europe Institute.
Last Update: 18/04/2022