As Thailand takes the 2019 Asean chairmanship on Tuesday, experts are warning that Thailand and Asean must brace for spillover from the trade war between the United States and China and push harder for the promotion of free trade. Asst Prof Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit, deputy head at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, RSIS, NTU, said a major threat to Asean next year will be the effect from the Sino-US trade war and the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. As the chair of Asean, Thailand can shine in the field of security – its strength in being a non-claimant state in territorial disputes such as the South China Sea enabling it to play the role of independent arbitrator.