Asean urged to weigh risks of siding with US over China in tariff war

Southeast Asian countries risk isolation by China and stalled growth prospects if they align too closely with the US in the trade war, a well-known Chinese political scientist has warned.

Zheng Yongnian, dean of the school of public policy at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, said that supporting the re-industrialisation efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was not the ultimate goal of the United States.

Rather, it aimed to bring manufacturing back to the country, whereas China was better placed to help the 10-nation regional bloc in realising its goals, he said.

“Asean member states could be entrenched in greater challenges if their economic and trade relations with China are not managed well,” Zheng told the South China Morning Post on Sunday.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd China-Asean Economic Relations Seminar, hosted by the university’s Institute for International Affairs.

“Some Asean countries would face stalled industrialisation and isolation by China if they choose to align more closely with Washington in the trade war, while the US would not assist them in achieving industrialisation,” Zheng cautioned.

South China Morning Post