![]() ![]() Along the way, the organization has turned its attention from regional security to economic development.īut now, as it seeks to build on its economic success as one of the world’s fast-growing regions, it also must contend with bigger geopolitical risks. ![]() Its paramount but little-noted achievement has been to preserve peace in the region. ![]() ASEAN’s role has grown significantly since it was founded in 1967. Just when it needs to close ranks, however, the organization that prides itself on being the cornerstone of Southeast Asia’s economic and security architecture is being split by China. Assuming the situation in North Korea does not blow up (a possibility that should not be dismissed), the highest-risk area in East Asia will likely be the South China Sea, which six of ASEAN’s 10 members border directly. The severity and complexity of these unresolved disputes are bringing Chinese dealings with ASEAN into heightened geopolitical focus. The latter body of water is treated by China as its own backyard, at the expense of other territorial claimants from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The recent peace offensive by North Korean President Kim Jong-un, now stalled after United States President Donald Trump canceled the on-again, off-again bilateral summit meeting, has diverted attention from East Asia’s two other traditional hot spots – the Formosa Strait between Taiwan and China, and the South China Sea.
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