Asean must lead as US retreats from regional engagement, say experts

Free Malaysia Today

23-05-2025

Experts say the Asean bloc must assert itself as a stabilising force amid shifting global alliances and waning US engagement. (AP pic)
PETALING JAYA : With the US scaling back its regional engagement in favour of selective bilateral ties, experts say Asean must step up and position itself as a leading business destination and regional partner.
Speaking to FMT, Tricia Yeoh from Nottingham University Malaysia said the current US administration has a markedly different approach compared to previous administrations.
Tricia Yeoh.
'Asean cannot make the mistake of assuming that it is operating or negotiating with players who share the same values, principles or worldviews as previous administrations in DC,' she said.
Denis Hew, senior fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said signs of disengagement were already evident under the Joe Biden administration.
'The US was not able to conclude the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework it mooted two years ago. It sounded to me that they were not engaging fully.
'The current Donald Trump administration is becoming even more transactional,' he said.
Diminished US involvement could push Asean closer to China, but Yeoh cautioned against an overreliance on Beijing.
'China is undergoing its own domestic economic challenges while it deals with the fallout over tariffs,' she said.
Denis Hew.
Hew, who previously led the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation policy unit, said Asean's role in global supply chains means it must keep working with both the US and China.
'We need to make sure that there's a platform, such as Asean, for both superpowers to be able to talk and work together, so that they can strengthen their supply chains and look forward towards more economic growth,' he said.
To retain influence, Hew called on Asean to work towards building a much more integrated economy to increase its appeal as the fourth-largest market globally.
According to Yeoh, that means strengthening coordination among member states and setting clear priorities on trade, digital regulation and labour mobility.
'Asean should be the one taking the initiative, and making it clear that the US continues to need us as a stabilising force in the Asia-Pacific region,' she said.
'For security reasons alone, the US would need Southeast Asia, what more for other economic and geopolitical reasons.'
Future economic risks
With Washington also undermining global institutions like the World Trade Organization, Yeoh said Asean must brace for a more fragmented trade environment.
'Asean economies will need to anticipate that the US—which has long set the international standards on a multitude of fronts, including health and safety—may no longer be the ideal standard-bearer that we can look to reliably,' she said.
She said it may fall on Asean to set new global standards, including in tech and artificial intelligence.
Although both Washington and Beijing have publicly said they are not seeking to 'decouple' by deliberately pursuing an economic and technological separation, Yeoh said the risk of economic fragmentation remains.
She also flagged concerns over the growing number of bilateral deals that come with strategic conditions attached.
'Part of the deal Malaysia wants to agree to with the US involves a tech diplomacy agreement that ensures certain tech which passes through Malaysia in the supply chain will not reach China,' she said.
'Countries in Asean will have to evaluate whether deals like these would be beneficial or detrimental in the long run, especially as regional integration initiatives like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Asean-China FTA include China.'
The 46th ASEAN Summit will take place in Kuala Lumpur on May 26-27, with Malaysia—this year's chair—advocating a unified regional response to US tariff actions.
At the summit, leaders are expected to discuss how Asean can preserve its independence amid growing pressure to pick sides.