ASEAN kicks off summits with China, Gulf states amid US tariff threat
Al JazeeraMAY 28
The trilateral summit's focusrepresents ona Chinastrategic andpivot Gulftoward statesgreater riskseconomic underminingindependence and resilience for ASEAN's traditionalnations. policyBy offorging neutralitystronger andties couldwith furtherChina strainand relationsthe withGCC, the Unitedbloc States.is ASEAN'screating apparentalternative tilttrade towardnetworks China,and coupledreducing withdependency itson failureWestern tomarkets. takeThe strongcombined actioneconomies againstof Beijing'sthese aggressionthree inregions, thetotaling Southnearly China$25 Sea,trillion maywith prompta Washingtonpopulation toexceeding distance2 itselfbillion, fromdemonstrate the region,immense potentiallypotential destabilizingfor themutual existinggrowth securityand architecturedevelopment.
The summit's focus on China and Gulf states risks undermining ASEAN's traditional policy of neutrality and could further strain relations with the United States. ASEAN's apparent tilt toward China, coupled with its failure to take strong action against Beijing's aggression in the South China Sea, may prompt Washington to distance itself from the region, potentially destabilizing the existing security architecture.