Sen. Tammy Duckworth put the foreign policy of President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to the test during his confirmation hearing Tuesday.
The Illinois Democrat asked Hegseth to name one country in ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, that is important to the United States, and then asked how many countries there are in that group.
Hegseth admitted he didn’t know, but went on to mention America’s alliance with South Korea, Japan and Australia. Duckworth pointed out that none of these countries are part of ASEAN.
“I suggest you do some homework,” she said.
The ten member countries of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are ‘observer states’.
In 2022, President Biden welcomed leaders from all ASEAN countries to Washington for a summit aimed at highlighting U.S. support for the region, a key battleground in the U.S.-China rivalry.
The United States enjoys close ties with Thailand and the Philippines, including expanding its military presence under Biden and maintaining friendly relations with Vietnam.
However, many Southeast Asian countries enjoy friendly relations with Beijing and have been major beneficiaries of the Belt and Road Initiative. China is also seen as a key supporter of the Myanmar regime, which is waging a civil war.
Some of the region’s major economies, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have maintained strong trade ties with the United States and China while maintaining a delicate diplomatic balance.
ASEAN unity has at times been strained by competing territorial claims between some members and China in the South China Sea, a vital global shipping route.
The United Nations has largely failed to restore stability in Myanmar, where the United Nations says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since the 2021 coup against the democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which left her behind bars.
However, the grouping has been largely focused on agreed upon areas, and its global influence is set to expand along with the group’s economy. ASEAN is the world’s 5th largest economy.
It could also play a role in a potential trade war between President-elect Trump and China, as Chinese exports to the region have surged in recent weeks.
Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, predicted that Trump may pressure ASEAN members to choose between the United States and China, something they have struggled to avoid. This is what I did.
“Despite the great confidence that American policymakers of both parties have, if countries are forced to choose, the United States may not win,” he wrote in the Japan Times.
“China is by far the dominant economic power in the region and increasingly provides the infrastructure that allows the region to function. Bullying approaches generally don’t work in Southeast Asia, and even under Biden, Southeast Asian countries appear to be disgruntled by what they perceive as America’s disengagement from the region.”
