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South China Sea
This Week in AsiaOpinion
George Yeo
George Yeo

Opinion | ‘The South China Sea connected us, it never divided us’: how Asean can build bridges

  • Former Singapore foreign affairs minister George Yeo believes Vietnam, as Asean chair, needs to bring calm to the South China Sea dispute
  • Asean countries should remain neutral amid the US-China trade war and seize opportunities from their decoupling

Reading Time:6 minutes
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George Yeo, former Singapore minister for foreign affairs and chairman of Kerry Logistics Network, gave a speech in Hanoi on January 10 at an event to mark the start of Vietnam’s chairmanship of Asean. Photo: SCMP
George Yeo
Regional trade and investment in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) cannot be discussed without reference to the larger world. From the earliest days, the people of Southeast Asia have been in continuous interaction with those of East Asia, South Asia and beyond.
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That larger world is again in flux. Facing the prospect of a competing superpower in China, the United States now defines its national interest in narrower terms. Many Americans no longer see the post-World War II multilateral institutions which were established under US leadership as serving US interests unless they are radically reformed.

For example, the US is increasingly unwilling to accept China’s designation as a developing country. Since China joined the World Trade Organisation in November 2001, its GDP has grown six times in purchasing power parity terms, eight times in RMB terms and 10 times in USD terms. With a per capita income of US$10,000, China is still a developing country but in some sectors, China is already highly developed.

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping. Asean countries are well placed to seize opportunities arising from the US-China trade war and decoupling. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping. Asean countries are well placed to seize opportunities arising from the US-China trade war and decoupling. Photo: AFP
Under President Donald Trump, the US is forcing a certain decoupling of the global economy. This will have huge implications for all of us. Geoeconomics and geopolitics are always intertwined. Decoupling is never economic alone. Provided it does not lead to war, decoupling can, however, open up new opportunities for Asean.
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DECOUPLING

It is ironic that China has now become the strongest advocate of globalisation. With a large, relatively homogenous population spread over a vast country, Chinese leaders have always been preoccupied with domestic challenges. But despite its reform and the opening up of its economy, China will never allow itself to be fully exposed to foreign influence.

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