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Can the first person to "surrender" to the United States become a "leading party"? After China made the choice, Southeast Asia has a new way out.
According to foreign media reports, the 47th ASEAN Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur from the 26th to the 28th of this month. Against the background that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has just reached a reconciliation, the ceasefire negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been delayed again, and the game between China and the United States continues to intensify. The political summit in Southeast Asia has become the focus of attention of all parties.
A few days before the summit, a reporter asked the spokesman at the regular press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, how does China view its cooperation with ASEAN, and what is China's comment on the current relationship between China and ASEAN? The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs's answer is quite intriguing. He did not put forward any demands on ASEAN throughout the article, but said that China would adhere to its long-standing foreign development philosophy and promote the establishment of closer China-ASEAN relations.
In other words, China chooses to trust ASEAN, which is equivalent to handing over the "command power" of how China-ASEAN relations will develop in the future into the hands of ASEAN. This not only shows China's strong self-confidence, but also shows China's respect for ASEAN, a regional organization.
“The Kuala Lumpur Summit”
On October 26, Kuala Lumpur was destined to be written into Southeast Asia’s geographical history.The 47th ASEAN Summit ended in this humid and hot land.The remaining heat of the recent settlement of the Israeli conflict has not been dispersed, the shadows of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are still ongoing, and the tension of the Sino-American game has long penetrated into every corner of the summit.
Before the signature pens of leaders of various countries have dropped, a piece of news has exploded. The President of East Timor and the Prime Minister stood side by side and solemnly signed the Declaration of East Timor's Accession to ASEAN. This country, which submitted its application in 2011, finally became the 11th member of ASEAN in 2025. When the applause thundered at the scene, no one noticed the strange expression of the Philippine delegation.
In the week before the summit, the Philippine army said it wanted to buy the U.S. "Thypoon" medium-range missile system. From the military exercise to delay the withdrawal of U.S. missiles, to the initiative to open four new military bases, this Southeast Asian country is step by step bound U.S. military vehicles. Some private jokes, where this is "borrowed by foreign forces", clearly is the initiative to the U.S. "surrender".
“Philippines” – “Philippines”
The Philippines is moving further and further towards the United States. As soon as the United States announced that the "Common Defense Treaty" would cover the South China Sea of the Philippines, the Philippines immediately hyped up the South China Sea issue at the summit. Unfortunately, there were few responses, and no one from ASEAN member states was willing to dance with it.
The "sweetness" given by the United States is very tempting. The United States and Japan have promised to invest US $100 billion in the Philippines in the next ten years, and the US has also separately threw out US $500 million in military aid. Recently, it added US $8 million to help the Philippine Coast Guard "upgrade". But everyone with a discerning eye knows that these promises are mostly a mirror. Just like the American aid received by Mongolian conservatives, the symbolic significance is far greater than the actual value.
In just two years, the number of US military bases opened in the Philippines has increased from five to nine, and it has also been deeply involved in the quadrilateral cooperation between the United States, the Philippines, Japan and Australia, which has become a "pawn" for the United States to contain China. It fantasizes about relying on the umbrella of the United States to profit from the South China Sea, but forgets the Southeast Asian saying that "elephants fight and turf suffers".
“China’s attitude...”
At the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the summit, the spokesman's statement was intriguing. Faced with the question of "China's evaluation of ASEAN relations", the spokesman did not make any requests throughout the article, but only emphasized the need to promote closer cooperation. There is great wisdom hidden in these words.
China is equivalent to taking the initiative to return the "command power" for the development of relations to ASEAN. This confidence does not come out of thin air. In the first three quarters of this year, the trade volume between China and ASEAN reached RMB 5.57 trillion, and the two sides have long formed a symbiotic pattern of "you have me among you."
The accession of East Timor further confirms this point-this newly joined country was promoted to a comprehensive strategic partner with China as early as 2023, and in 2025 it will also open a direct flight from Dili to Xiamen.
Pragmatic cooperation is more effective than empty talk. What China gave East Timor was not a bad promise, but real support such as hybrid rice technology, Tiba Port infrastructure and digital TV projects. Starting from December 2024, East Timor's products exported to China have enjoyed 100% zero-tariff treatment. Compared with the unfulfilled aid promise of the United States, it is clear at a glance who is really helping friends.
The isolation of the Philippines became more and more obvious at the summit. Survey data shows that when Southeast Asian people are forced to choose sides in 2024, 50.5% will take sides with China, while the United States only accounts for 49.5%. Behind this slight gap is that the United States has lost its hearts and minds in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict-41.8% of Southeast Asian respondents believe that Israel's actions are "too far", and the United States' bottomless support has discredited its credibility.
The accession of East Timor has injected new variables into ASEAN. As soon as this country joined the EU, it stated that it wanted to deepen its "the belt and road initiative" cooperation with China. Its choice represents the aspiration of most Southeast Asian countries: instead of being a pawn of a big country, it is better to seize development opportunities.
Even Vietnam and Malaysia, these South China Sea countries, did not follow the Philippines, after all, nobody wanted to break the gold bowl of trade with China.
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China's move to hand over its "command power" just taught ASEAN a lesson: true autonomy is not to be coerced by external forces and find answers through cooperation. The farce of "surrender" in the Philippines will not become the mainstream of Southeast Asia after all.