Great Powers
The Biden Presidency has ushered in a new era of US-China relations. Both major powers expect intense rivalry on all fronts including military, technology and trade. Where does Southeast Asia stand in this new battle ground? With US and China wooing Southeast Asian countries with vaccine diplomacy, infrastructure investments and economic benefits, Southeast Asia has to carefully navigate their relations with the two great powers.
This resource page aims to provide perspectives and insights on US-China competition and relations with a compilation of related articles by RSIS researchers and webinars organised by RSIS.
RSIS Commentaries
June 2021
Benjamin Ho, Assistant Professor with the China Programme at RSIS, wrote that as the Biden administration continues its diplomatic pressure on China, Beijing is likely to further harden its stance in response to what it perceives as a Western United Front against it. As the spectre of alliance politics emerges as the next frontier in major power competition, what would ASEAN’s stance be?
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Biden-Xi: Emerging Clash of the United Fronts?”
Adam Garfinkle, non-resident Distinguished Fellow at RSIS, wrote that the Sinocentric era in US foreign policy has truly begun, with the first face-to-face White House visits of the Biden administration from the leaders of two Asian security treaty allies: the prime minister of Japan and the president of South Korea.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Biden-Xi: Emerging Clash of the United Fronts?”
May 2021
Christopher Cheang, Senior Fellow at RSIS, wrote that Russia and China, already close, appear to be getting even closer as Moscow seeks to forge a relationship with US President Biden.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Putin-Biden Summit: China’s Shadow Looms Large”
Frederick Kliem, Research Fellow at RSIS, wrote that the European Union (EU) has just concluded a first draft of its long-expected Indo-Pacific strategy. While criticism is plentiful, EU policy can have a meaningful impact.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “EU Indo-Pacific Strategy: More than Meets the Eye“
Op-eds
June 2021
Huong Le Thu and Sarah Teo, Senior Analyst at ASPI and Coordinator of the regional security architecture programme at RSIS respectively, wrote that even as the Quad’s cooperative efforts extend across an increasing number of sectors, the likelihood that it will overstretch and overpromise remains.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “The Ambitions and Reality of the Quad“
Last updated on 29/06/2021
