RSIS senior fellow Chris Cheang at NTU wrote that a strong and close Russo-Chinese relationship would be in ASEAN’s interest if that were to bring more stability in the Asia-Pacific region and lead to increased investments and trade to the region. However, were such a relationship to upset the current balance of power in the region between the US and China, ASEAN would not benefit. That would lead to increased pressure and reduced room for manoeuvre. But it is still much too early to make an assessment either way.