US-ASEAN Relations Grow as Tensions Rise in the South China Sea
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the ASEAN summit in Laos on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Photo: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended the biannual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from Oct. 6 to 11, 2024, to discuss US foreign policy. Blinken also participated in the East Asia and US-ASEAN Summit, held in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) from Oct. 8 to 11.
Under the motto “One Vision, One Identity, One Community,” ASEAN was established on Aug. 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with 10 members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ASEAN centrality focuses on cooperation among Southeast Asian countries and aims to promote sovereignty and security. Blinken’s participation in the conference reaffirmed the US’s commitment to ASEAN centrality and the fundamental principles of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy, which emphasizes US connections with countries in the Indo-Pacific region to support security and prosperity.
Blinken also aimed to discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Burma, and the importance of upholding international law in the South China Sea, stating that these conflicts contradict the principles of cooperation and amity that ASEAN and the US support. Disputes of sovereignty and claims to natural resources such as oil and gas have increased tension in the South China Sea. China’s claims over the region overlap with those of ASEAN members, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The US has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to patrol the area, challenging China’s claims. In his speech at the summit on Oct. 11, Blinken stated that the US will “continue to support the freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking at the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Oct. 11, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Tang Chhin Sothy)
US cooperation with ASEAN is vital due to the tensions between China and the US. The complex relationship between the US and China dates back to 1949 when the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China. The US supported the exiled Nationalist government in Taiwan and, in the early 1950s, fought on the opposite side of China during the Korean War. The first Taiwan Strait Crisis began in 1954 and led the US to threaten a nuclear attack on China in 1955. In 1989, in response to the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the US suspended military sales to Beijing and paused US-China relations. While the US and China became trade partners in the early 2000s, tensions have steadily risen due to issues such as China’s military expansion, the COVID-19 pandemic, accusations of unfair treatment of Uyghurs, and the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
Blinken also reaffirmed the US’s position on the rising tensions between China and Taiwan. Taiwan’s official status is heavily debated, with China viewing it as a breakaway province that will one day be under its rule. In contrast, Taiwan considers itself sovereign with its leaders and constitution. The US has sought to act as a peacekeeper due to Taiwan’s strategic location in the South China Sea. During his speech at the ASEAN Summit, Blinken emphasized the importance of ASEAN nations maintaining their “shared commitment to protect stability across the Taiwan Strait” in cooperation with the US.
The US’s relationship with China has made its engagement with ASEAN crucial. The US and ASEAN share similar policies regarding China, including the intent to protect Taiwan and the South China Sea from what the US views as Chinese aggression. Blinken’s attendance at the October 2024 ASEAN Summit reaffirms the US’s commitment to strengthening ties with Southeast Asian nations and underscores the US’s desire for other countries to align with its foreign policy on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Burma crisis, and disputes in the South China Sea.