-: R Muthu Kumar :-
The Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kao Kim Hourn is now in India on an official five-day visit from today to February 15. This will be a good occasion to evaluate issues and troubling situations in our neighborhood. Especially when US is working on this rare ‘once in a generation effort’ to boost diplomatic and defence ties in the Asia Pacific as part of it’s campaign to compete with China.
Last year America and China did indulge in close skirmishes of their reconnaissance planes and war ships! Washington said the near misses showed China’s “growing aggressiveness”, but Beijing said the US was to blame, accusing its rival of deliberately “provoking risk” by sending aircraft and vessels for “close in reconnaissance” near its shores. Well after that the two countries were able to de-escalate tensions then.
US views China as the biggest challenge to the Western-dominated international order. US military’s so-called “freedom of navigation exercises” in the contested waterways near China are part of a push by the administration of President Joe Biden to deepen and expand its diplomatic and military presence in the Asia Pacific.
After years of upheaval in US-China relations, caused by former US President Donald Trump’s trade war and assault on globalisation, the Taiwan crisis by the present President Joe Biden’s obsession with maintaining America’s economic and technological superiority and geopolitical dominance America is keen to take a jab at ASEAN.
The Philippines, which as a U.S. treaty ally has been more willing to openly align with Washington, has allowed the Pentagon to access multiple new bases in the country that would be critical in case of a war over Taiwan, despite the inevitable Chinese blowback. But with the exception of Manila, even though other regional states fear China’s military muscle, they increasingly accept Chinese dominance.
The Philippines is keen to develop islands in the South China Sea that it considers part of its territory to make them more habitable for troops.
And the Philippines insists on building infrastructures on Ren’ai Jiao. Apparently it is now more than one month since the Philippines last sent ships to trespass into waters off China’s Ren’ai Jiao (also known as Ren’ai Reef), marking the longest pause in Manila’s provocations since August following advices from various experts who wishes Philippines to remain restrained, but experts who are watching the happenings very closely haved warned that the Philippines, along with the US that stands behind it, will not easily give up their goals.
This de-escalation follows ASEAN member states stepping in and urging them to show restrain,as when it comes to peace and stability in the region it is ASEAN who steps in before international forum react.
As it was the US that has instigated the Philippines in provoking China, it also does not want the Philippines to go so far that a conflict could break out! US is not willing to sacrifice its interests for the interests of the Philippines; but if the US does not join the fight, then it will lose trust and influence over its allies.
Similarly, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te was proclaimed the victor of the regional election on the island by the Taiwanese Central Election Commission on January 13. Not long after his victory, Lai proclaimed during a press conference that he and his colleagues will “protect Taiwan from China’s continued threats and intimidation.”
So far, it seems that the newly elected DPP “will continue to occupy the Presidential Office and do the bidding of the United States or maybe American leaders found it to their advantage to set a puppet government in the shoreline of China just to iritate them!
And it is pertinent to note that South Korea, Japan and the Philippines,” three countries “heavily occupied by American troops.
So the fear that Americans are using Taiwanese people as geopolitical pawns has reasons behind that thought!
As such United States, is involved in two major crises, viz Ukraine and the Middle East, so they might not want to be involved in Taiwan crisis for now. But as there is the American presidential elections around the corner, well a new diversionary complexity in Asia region will help present President Biden to get a image makeover with these dubious political conundrum.
The USis keen to build relations with ASEAN nations partnership for prosperity, creating jobs on both sides of the Pacific. More than 6,200 U.S. companies operate across ASEAN’s member states, employing nearly 1 million people, and all 50 U.S. states export to ASEAN, supporting more than 625,000 U.S. jobs.
of the 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the U.S. is the most influential power in only two: the Philippines, which is a U.S. treaty ally, and Singapore, which is a staunch U.S. partner. Even in these states, Washington only barely finishes on top. In Thailand, another U.S. treaty ally, China is now more influential.
The US is under check for now despite the fact that many states in Southeast Asia, like Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, are clearly terrified of China’s assertive military actions.
Let’s not forget that U.S. remains the dominant military power for many Southeast Asian states, although Washington is slipping in this measure as well. Indonesia and Vietnam have opted for somewhat closer military cooperation with the U.S. in recent years, though they have remained careful not to antagonise Beijing in doing so.
