[MAAS-ICS Webinar] The US Role in ASEAN's Development in the Context of Ongoing Sino-American Rivalry

Battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian countries are working to revive their stalled economies. Regional economic integration remains key to their development  strategies, through agreements like RCEP, the CP-TPP, and mini-lateral and bilateral ideals. The open, inclusive regionalization of the last thirty years advanced within a particular geopolitical context, viz. US security preeminence, Sino-US cooperation, and ASEAN centrality in regional diplomatic architecture. Today, however, Sino-US rivalry has become full-spectrum, with rising security, economic, and diplomatic tensions casting region-wide shadows over hopes for continued stability and renewed prosperity. In this regard, what is the nature and trajectory of America’s engagement with the 10-member ASEAN in the context of the current Sino-US rivarly? How would the US and ASEAN reconcile security concerns with development priorities?

In this MAAS-ICS webinar, Assoc. Prof. Greg Felker will speak to these issues. Dr. Felker will examine the ongoing effort by the United States to reinstate its geoeconomic presence in Asia and its implications for ASEAN. He will address the challenges that America faces as its ongoing rivalry with China continues to shape the geo-economic and geopolitical dynamics in
Southeast Asia.