Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

Southeast Asia remains comparatively confident in international cooperation even as scepticism grows over whether the United States or China should take a leading global role, a new survey has found.Analysts said the findings reflected a long-standing regional preference for keeping strategic options open, particularly among smaller and middle powers wary of an international order dominated by either Washington or Beijing.“Seeking Security and Opportunity in a Stormy World”, released this month by The Rockefeller Foundation, surveyed more than 35,000 people across 34 countries on their assessment of global affairs. Its Southeast Asian grouping covered Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.Southeast Asia was among the regions most positive about whether global cooperation was working effectively, scoring 63 per cent compared with 37 per cent for the US and Canada, 32 per cent for Oceania and 31 per cent for western Europe.At the same time, the survey suggested limited global appetite for either Washington or Beijing assuming a leading role, with 39 per cent comfortable with the US doing so and 37 per cent saying the same of China.Another 61 per cent supported countries working together to address global problems without either superpower taking the lead.The flags of the US, Asean, and China. A recent global survey shows Southeast Asian nations favour broad international cooperation while balancing relations between the two countries. Photo: ShutterstockThe combination pointed to “a more fragmented global order”, said Alejandro Reyes, a senior fellow at the China-and-the-world" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="150218" data-entity-type="organization">Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong.“There is widespread recognition of both American and Chinese power, but much less willingness to accept either as the natural or dominant leader of the international system,” Reyes said.