Managing US-China Competition: The View from Singapore

In a speech on May 26, Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the Biden administration's policy toward China, which he characterized as the only nation with the will to alter the international order while relying on an increasing amount of economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so. According to Secretary Blinken, the US will concentrate on influencing Beijing's strategic environment to further its goals. In this period of strategic rivalry, the US will use the three-word strategy of investing, aligning, and competing. The Indo-Pacific region has been designated as the US's top priority theater, while the Middle East and North Africa are significant regions where the rivalry will play out.

In this podcast, Jonathan invited Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore and former Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. In today's episode, they discuss the influence of the US-China Competition in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. They also discuss the difference between the Gulf and South East Asia regarding people, culture, religion, and perspective in this geopolitical competition. Moreover, Ambassador Bilahari states that the SEA region welcomes these extra-national powers within the region as they help the countries' economic growth and maintain the balance of power in the region. Lastly, Ambassador Kausikan provides some advice to Gulf countries regarding US-China geopolitics.

Key Takeaways
The influence of US-China Competition in the SEA region
Comparison between the Gulf region and the SEA region
The China-Iran relationship in geopolitics
The role of extra-national powers in the power balance in East Asia and SEA regions
Advice and recommendations to Gulf Countries
Quotes

The US-China competition is competition within a system, one system of which the US and China are both vital and irreplaceable parts in a global system - Bilahari

We do welcome all external powers but don't follow their interests - Bilahari


China has good relations with everybody in the MENA region, but it is not a sustainable position over the long run, and the Chinese know it and are not quite sure what to do about it - Bilahari


Featured in this Episode
Jonathan Fulton

Nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi
Profile: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/exper...

Linkedin:   / jonathan-fulton-2627414b  

Twitter:   / jonathandfulton  



Bilahari Kausikan

Chairman, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore
Former Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Profile: https://www.iiss.org/governance/the-a...


Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:22 Influence in Southeast Asia

09:30 The Gulf region vs Southeast Asia

19:47 China and Iran relations

25:36 Extranational powers in the role of security

28:58 North Korea distrusts China

30:21 Binary of great power combination

33:17 US is a key in the Economic power in SEA

39:52 Advice to the Gulf countries

42:54 Conclusion

This podcast was produced by Heartcast Media.

https://www.heartcastmedia.com/