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It’s all about China: The key to future US ties with South-east Asia
Whether the next US president is Harris or Trump, that is the prism through which Washington will calibrate its ties. Three countries, including Singapore, stand out.
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President Xi Jinping’s China is a risen and assertive great power, one done with playing second fiddle to the United States.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Tan See Seng
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On Nov 5, Americans will pick their 47th president. For countries in South-east Asia, while it is unclear at this point who will emerge the winner, there’s one thing they can be certain of: whoever becomes president, China will be the prism through which Washington will view and engage with Asean and its constituent members.
Mr Xi Jinping’s China is a risen and assertive great power, one done with playing second fiddle to the United States. Mr Xi’s willingness to push back on several fronts is visibly evident, say, in his strategy to deny America access to the South China Sea, which Beijing proprietarily views as a Chinese lake.
