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As US-China trade war escalates, Asean must stand united to prevent march towards new iron curtain

The Asean Summit starting today in Bangkok is special. The bloc’s first summit of the year is usually held in April but special accommodation has been made for Thailand, as the kingdom completed the formal coronation of King Vajiralongkorn and the formation of a newly elected government.

The 34th summit is also taking place against the backdrop of an increasingly bitter trade war between the US and China. Talks have broken down and the two countries have slapped additional tariffs on each other. China is actively looking into additional retaliatory actions, such as creating a list of unreliable foreign entities, to retaliate against the American decision to put Huawei on a US trade blacklist.

Hence the summit takes on greater significance. It is an opportunity for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to demonstrate its relevance amid this climate of mistrust between China and the US that threatens to affect the world.

Asean has been divided within itself for years as the US and China tussled for influence. This division has prevented member states from coming together as one bloc in the face of important international developments, to its own detriment.

For example, in 2016, after the The Hague ruling in favour of the Philippines in its South China Sea case against China, the Asean statement did not contain any mention of the case. Asean requires unanimous consent before a statement is released and Cambodia and Laos, known to be close to China, were opposed to it.

This infuriated countries like Vietnam, which is known to have grave reservations over Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea. The development has laid the groundwork for a deep split within Asean that threatens to undermine the relevance and effectiveness of the bloc.

Now, with rising tensions between China and US, it is time for Asean to unite and present itself as a rational voice on this matter. At this summit, Asean should release a joint statement calling on the US and China to resolve the dispute amicably.

As Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lee Hsien Loong brilliantly said: “When the lines start to get drawn, everybody asked, are you my friend or not my friend? And that makes it difficult for small countries.” This dispute has real-life implications for Asean; all Asean members want to be friends with the US and China.

Asean must come together as one bloc and pull its weight on the US-China trade war to prevent the worst-case scenario from being realised. In the coming days, China and the US are bound to try to influence individual Asean member states to side with them. I hope the member states will reject such manipulation and stand firmly together to oppose the world’s march towards a new iron curtain.
Source: SCMP

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