If China's foreign minister visited five of the 10 ASEAN countries earlier this month, Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, chose two countries in the same region—Vietnam and Indonesia—this week for his first official trip abroad. What explains the rush?
In this exclusive podcast Dr Prabir De, professor of the ASEAN Centre at the RIS think tank, tells StratNews Global that like China, Japan has a lot of business interests in southeast Asia, necessitating a counter-visit. Several ASEAN countries contribute goods and services to China but with Covid-19 disrupting supply chains, both parties have taken a hit. China is now reaching out to the region, promising free Covid vaccines and trying to wean the bloc away from rivals Japan and the United States.
As Dr. De notes, Asean needs all three players and, therefore, does a fine balancing act. He also talked about Australia joining the Malabar exercise, saying it sends out a signal of convergence and has a strong economic dimension as well. For more listen in.
Podcast Producer:Manas Tarai
