But, ASEAN has been unable to take the current ruling junta in line with the Five-Point Consensus agreed upon in April 2021 by associating with Naypyidaw’s obstinate leadership today and being hindered by divisiveness within its own ranks. & nbsp,
Externally, the US-China competition has gotten so bad that East Asian countries feel obliged to pick edges— something they would quite avoid— despite claims made at the ASEAN Summit by US Vice President Kamala Harris and Chinese Premier Li Qiang about their individual countries’ support for the organization.
Additionally, ASEAN has made a point of arguing its validity to the Indo-Pacific, which is how international policymakers currently view Asia.
Plan structures like China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the US-backed Quad, AUKUS, and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity have proliferated in recent years. Some people view these arrangements as competing structures to ASEAN-led ones, which pose a threat to the organization’s lauded” centrality” in regional affairs. & nbsp,
TIME TO GET STARTED
ASEAN must act now or risk losing everything in the face of that challenging situation. & nbsp, The Indo-Pacific offers opportunities that ASEAN could take advantage of as a region in flux.
Granted, relationships between the US and China are probably going to deteriorate. With its most recent federal image, which stakes statements from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, China even infuriated the area once more. India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, all of which have regional issues with China, have voiced their opposition to the offensive image.
However, it is still unclear whether a weaker China will continue to rule the ASEAN area with its divide-and-conquer strategies given its current financial problems. Furthermore, it is unclear whether China’s decline, which is anticipated to have a negative impact on Southeast Asia, will loosen Beijing much in terms of its economic hold on the region to persuade nations like Cambodia and Laos to soften their staunch pro-China stances. In addition, & nbsp,