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US-Asean relations

US-Asean relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-Asean relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy.
Open Questions series

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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28
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
China Coast Guard personnel watch a Philippine ship near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Beijing and Manila have competing maritime claims over the atoll and surrounding waters. Photo: Handout via Xinhua
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Why Southeast Asia feels relief and caution after the Xi-Trump summit

Countries in the region could feel less pressure as the thaw in US-China ties continues but deeper disputes remain unresolved, analysts say.

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Asean

Opinion | In a US-China world, Asean must do more than avoid choosing sides

Asean

Opinion | As the global order fragments, at least Asean is still talking

Singapore

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

Singapore’s Lawrence Wong attends an Asean meeting in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

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US-China relations

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

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Mainland China

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

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A container lifter is used to organise goods containers at a port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP
China-Latin America relations

US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

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Asean

US swaps ideology for ‘flexible realism’ and deterrence in Southeast Asia

Pentagon’s Colby urges allies to invest more in defence as Washington prioritises pragmatic Indo-Pacific partnerships over moral values.

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India

Ready player 3: India offers Asean a US-China alternative

India pitches trade, missiles and room to hedge as the US and China vie for regional influence.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Energy

Inside America’s US$1.5 billion play for Southeast Asian energy

Gas exports and mini reactors serve US interests as much as Asia’s – provided promised projects actually lead anywhere.

A power plant and transmission lines in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam. The International Development Finance Corporation has reportedly held talks with Vietnam on grid modernisation. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Exclusive | Philippines, sovereignty, Pax Silica Industrial Hub – how US’ Helberg sees it

Senior US official tackles suggestions that Manila’s jurisdiction could be eroded by a joint supply chain project.

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Asean

Why new US tariffs threaten Trump government’s credibility in Asean

The additional duties come just a day after Marco Rubio tells Southeast Asian foreign ministers that the US is ‘with Asean 100 per cent’.

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Middle East

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

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An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US mural, depicting an Iranian and US negotiation table, next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, on June 22. Photo: EPA
China trade

Why the Vietnam ‘detour’ for US-bound Chinese goods hit a dead end

Is finding another Hanoi haven possible, or would trying be a fool’s errand for Chinese firms looking to get the jump on Trump and evade tariffs?

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Asean

Opinion | Beyond geopolitics: for Asean, China is a structural reality

Faced with the structural reality of China, Southeast Asia is trying to turn it into an advantage without losing control of its choices.

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Asean

Asian Angle | China builds Southeast Asia expertise as the US lets it wither

Yet neither power will truly grasp this complex, diverse region if they continue to treat it merely as a geopolitical chessboard.

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Asean

Asean at 60: peace, prosperity and polite paralysis

Non-interference bought decades of stability, but now breeds inaction. Is Asean due an overhaul?

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Illustration: Huy Truong
South China Sea

Opinion | Philippines’ belligerence towards China out of step with Asean trend

Manila’s security-first approach and alignment with extra-regional powers is at odds with the pragmatic direction of China-Asean relations.

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Donald Trump

Tariffs, war and broken trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump problem

Disillusioned by US unpredictability, the region is learning to diversify – while Trump treats allies as bargaining chips.

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Asean

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

Manila’s success at the helm will depend on its ability to make the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more operational than before.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Indonesia

How US military aircraft repair hub could threaten Indonesian neutrality

If Indonesia turns Kertajati Airport into a Hercules repair hub, it risks being seen as siding with the US in times of war, analysts say.

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Kertajati Airport in West Java is dubbed a “ghost airport” due to its nearly deserted terminals and lack of commercial passenger traffic. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

The real test of Beijing and Washington’s adoption of ‘constructive strategic stability’ will be how words translate into action.

Asean

Opinion | How new US-Indonesia defence pact sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

The US is investing in the systems, skills and relationships that would matter if access to the Strait of Malacca ever came under pressure.

Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
The Philippines

Why Southeast Asian nations are skipping major US-Philippine Balikatan drills

Given the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, joining the annual military exercise may risk being seen as picking the US, analysts say.

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Philippine Navy Colonel Dennis Hernandez (left) looks on as United States Marines Colonel Robert Bunn speaks during a Balikatan briefing on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Singapore balances national interest with rising anti-US sentiment

Negative public sentiment does not immediately translate to worsening bilateral ties as the US remains an important partner, experts say.

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Asean

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

An increasingly unpredictable Washington is making the region’s traditional hedging strategy harder to sustain.

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