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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

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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

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28
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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7
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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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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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Huy Truong
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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Energy

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

The Philippines

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

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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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An American Flag hangs from a crane at Port Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Friday. US President Donald Trump has slapped new tariffs on 60 trading partners. Photo: AFP
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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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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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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China and Asean sign a free-trade upgrade protocol in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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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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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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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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Illustration: Huy Truong
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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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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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.

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hand with China’s Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters
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.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hosts an honour cordon for Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Pentagon, in Washington, US, on April 13. Photo: Reuters
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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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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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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A banner at a protest in Singapore’s Hong Lim Park on Saturday shows past and present US presidents with horns on their heads. Photo: Instagram/sgacadboycott
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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Asean

Most in Asean prefer China over US in survey, Trump cited as biggest concern

Support for China was stronger in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey.

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United States

Opinion | Fixing US branding woes starts with rebuilding trust Trump has damaged

Lavishly funded celebrations will not fly in Asian countries struggling to get by and increasingly sceptical of Trump’s America.

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A driver pushes his auto rickshaw to get compressed natural gas at a filling station in Peshawar, Pakistan, as the government reduces the station’s working hours to save energy on March 18. Photo: AP
Asean

Opinion | Tariffs grab headlines, but non-tariff barriers decide winners in Asean

Trump’s flashy tariffs get the attention, but non-tariff barriers are what truly kill competition and leave firms and consumers worse off.

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up signed documents on a trade deal in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
Asean

Can Asean break free from US-China supply chain grip?

The bloc will look for new markets and deepen regional cooperation to reduce trade uncertainty, economic ministers say.

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Asean

Opinion | Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

At a time when no one has bandwidth left, soft power is being won by being the partner that feels usable, steady and low-risk.

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Asean

Letters | Asean is not choosing sides, but strategically maximising space

Readers discuss how Southeast Asian governments have gained bargaining power, the benefits of cheap public transport, and a harbourfront project.

A boat cruises past a nickel processing plant at Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park in Central Halmahera, North Maluku province, Indonesia in 2024. Photo: AP
China Conference: Southeast Asia

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

The US and China are the top two trading partners for Asean but it is questionable how long that status quo will last, observers say.

Mohamed Amersi (centre) and Bernardino Moningka Vega (right) take part in a plenary panel hosted by SCMP Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim at the China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP
Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia should not fear Trump’s disruption

Instead of joining Trump’s neocolonial ‘Board of Peace’, Southeast Asian leaders should seize the chance to help rebuild a global order that is just and equitable.

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United Nations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

Nations are likely to try to avoid early commitment while steering clear of outright rejection to minimise US retaliation, analysts say.

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