Asean must act to get US, China talking – scholar

 

Asean needs to play a proactive role to get the US and China to hold dialogues to reduce their intense rivalry, prominent geopolitical scholar Kishore Mahbubani said.

The illustrious former Singaporean diplomat, who predicts the geopolitical contests between the two major powers will accelerate in the next 10 years, said the 10-member regional grouping must protect its own interests too.

He likened the Southeast Asian organisation to a Ming dynasty vase, which is very precious and extraordinary but fragile, adding that Asean itself must avoid getting caught in the middle of intense rivalry between the two superpowers.

“If Asean does nothing, it will get trampled,” he said at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) Distinguished Lecture Series titled “When Elephants Fight, Will Asean Get Trampled” on Thursday.

Kishore said fundamentally, both countries should understand that it is now a multipolar world and that strengthening multilateralism is the wise thing to do.

Focus on issues, not rivalry

Instead of competing, both countries should shift their strength and capacity to work on more urgent issues that are affecting the world today, including climate change and strengthening institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Kishore said both countries should also take the initiative to revive the China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED).

The SED, a framework for the US and China to discuss topics related to economic relations between them was started by former US president George W Bush and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in 2006, but was stopped by former president Donald Trump.

“They should start talking to each other, talk more regularly and the world will be a better place,” the scholar said.

Meanwhile, on India’s position in the US-China rivalry, Kishore noted the country’s relations with China were also strained and hence, the US has been courting India ferociously to counter China.

India could play a role in keeping check the intense competition between the two superpowers - provided it takes a neutral stand.

India, with strong economic growth that is expected to continue in the next decade, should also be watched carefully, he said.

While many hailed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in June as heralding a new chapter in India-US relations, Kishore said: “But I think India will never become a full-scale ally to the US”.

- Bernama