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Western aid cuts risk fracturing Asean unity
As the wealth gaps between its members widen, Asean risks becoming a two-speed bloc, making consensus on core economic issues harder to achieve.
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As Western governments focus inwards, they risk forfeiting decades of influence in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Alexandre Dayant and Grace Stanhope
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A casual scan of the gleaming skylines of Bangkok, Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh City, and it’s easy to believe that South-east Asia is thriving. But a mounting challenge lurks beneath the surface bustle of these cities. As Western powers pull back from global development, billions in foreign aid are vanishing, placing the region’s poorest countries, and Asean’s unity, at risk.
The scale of the aid pullback is striking. Earlier in 2025, the Trump administration suspended nearly all American overseas assistance
