BANGKOK (AP) — Sen. Tammy Duckworth grills president-elect that of Donald Trump Secretary of Defense’s choice over whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international negotiations, asked Pete Hegseth if I could name a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nationsdescribe the type of agreement the United States had with the countries and how many nations made up the bloc.
Hegseth responded during the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he could not tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN countries, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in within the framework of AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States). with Australia.
“None of those three countries are part of ASEAN,” replied Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat. “I suggest you do some homework.”
What is ASEAN and why is it relevant to the United States?
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. An eleventh country, East Timor, should soon join.
Established in 1967, its goal is to promote regional economic and security cooperation, leveraging a combined population of more than 650 million people with a GDP of more than $3 trillion.
Duckworth’s question came after Hegseth highlighted the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific, a region where China’s influence has grown rapidly and where Beijing has become increasingly assertive in its claims territorial.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are blocked maritime disputes with China on its claims to sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Seaone of the world’s most crucial waterways for navigation. Indonesia has also expressed concerns over what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment into its exclusive economic zone.
What does ASEAN have to do with the US Secretary of Defense?
The United States is treaty partners with ASEAN members Thailand and the Philippines, and Washington has sought to exploit ASEAN’s regional influence by seeking to counter Chinese influence and promote what the House Blanche called for “a free and open, connected, prosperous and secure region.” and resilient.
President Joe Biden said ASEAN was “at the heart of my administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy” and welcomed a meeting of ASEAN leaders in Washington in 2022.
ASEAN also holds high-level meetings every year, this year in Malaysia, which holds the rotating presidency of the group.
His defense meetings are generally followed by the US Secretary of Defenseand its meetings of foreign ministers by the US Secretary of State. The meetings culminate with an annual summit regularly attended by the sitting US president. Both Biden And Donald Trump participated.
Otherwise, why is ASEAN important?
Despite some members’ territorial disputes with China, many members of the bloc also maintain close relations with Beijing, and senior Chinese officials also attend ASEAN meetings.
In 2022, the United States was elevated to the highest level of “comprehensive strategic partnership” with ASEAN – a largely symbolic status that places Washington on the same level as China, which achieved this distinction the previous year.
ASEAN emphasizes non-interference and personal diplomacy, and the breadth of its membership and partnerships places it in a unique position as a forum for addressing major geopolitical issues.
Beyond China and the United States, ASEAN maintains formal relations with Russia, India, Australia, the European Union, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea and many others.
It hosts annual “ASEAN Plus Three” meetings with the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan, “ASEAN Plus Six” talks involving the leaders of Australia, India and New Zealand. -Zealand, as well as the East Asia Summit, which includes the six plus Russia and the United States.
ASEAN countries also play a central role in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, a free trade agreement signed in 2020, creating the largest trading bloc in history.
The ten countries, plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, account for more than 30% of the world’s population and about 30% of global GDP. Conceived at the ASEAN Summit in 2011, the agreement includes commitments on trade in goods and services, investments and other areas.
Several ASEAN countries are also part of the Pacific trade pact, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreementor CPTPP, whose members also include Mexico, Canada, Australia, Britain, Chile, Peru and Japan, and whose economies account for more than 14% of global GDP.
