‘Not mere pawns’ in big power rivalry: Asean asserts agency at Shangri-La Dialogue
US warnings about China ‘threat’ unlikely to be fully endorsed by Asean, given spectre of steep tariffs under Trump, analyst says
Among them was Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, who asserted that his country, a US treaty ally, was not a mere pawn with “no strategic agency”.
“Doing so unfairly portrays [that] the legitimate actions taken by smaller states [are] being carried out at the behest of major powers, as if we were mere pawns with no strategic agency of our own,” he said, though he also highlighted a deficit of trust with Beijing.
However, an observer said those views were unlikely to be fully endorsed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as they still faced economic uncertainties from steep US tariffs under President Donald Trump and sought to diversify trade ties away from the great powers.