{"id":3501,"date":"2025-10-26T04:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=3501"},"modified":"2025-10-26T04:53:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:53:53","slug":"aseans-diplomatic-opportunity-profiting-from-power-politics-between-trump-china-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/10\/26\/aseans-diplomatic-opportunity-profiting-from-power-politics-between-trump-china-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"ASEAN\u2019s Diplomatic Opportunity: Profiting from Power Politics Between Trump, China, and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I am Thinking aloud!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can ASEAN Leverage Global Power Rivalries for Economic and Political Gain?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASEAN\u2019s Strategic Stage: A Platform for Trump, China, and Global Leaders?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Tensions into Leverage: Will ASEAN Benefit from Hosting Trump, China, and Others?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASEAN\u2019s Diplomatic Opportunity: Profiting from Power Politics Between Trump, China, and Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can ASEAN Capitalize on Hosting Global Heavyweights Like Trump and China?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s visit puts Asean\u2019s convening power to the test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alina Khai<\/a>Share<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts say the US president\u2019s presence is a double-edged sword, and the bloc should not become overshadowed.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"donald
US President Donald Trump will attend the Asean Summit for only the second time, after skipping the event from 2018 to 2020. (AP pic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

KUALA LUMPUR:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 US President Donald Trump\u2019s return to the Asean summit meeting after years of absence is shaping up to be one of the week\u2019s most politically charged moments, as well as a test for the regional bloc, according to experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 47th Asean summit meeting brings together leaders of both the global north and south, but Joanne Lin, senior fellow at Singapore\u2019s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said Trump\u2019s visit is a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s attendance will restore some visibility to the US after years of limited engagement, not just in Trump\u2019s first term; even under Joe Biden, Washington\u2019s presence was sporadic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the renewed visibility also comes with risk, she said. \u201cHis larger-than-life presence will inevitably dominate the headlines and sadly might slightly overshadow some of these meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and South Korea\u2019s president, Lee Jae Myung, will also attend for the first time, while China will be represented by premier Li Qiang instead of president Xi Jinping. India\u2019s prime minister, Narendra Modi, will join virtually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former senior diplomat Ilango Karuppannan said the summit has become \u201ca battle of optics\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the absence of Xi, Trump will be the heavyweight in the frame. \u201cIn terms of protocol, presidents are always front and centre, and that image will play very differently in Washington and New York,\u201d said Ilango, a former Malaysian high commissioner to Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ilango said imagery of the summit meeting could feed perceptions that Asean is tilting toward the US and the regional bloc must maintain the right image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it was rare for an American president to attend the East Asia Summit, which is typically represented by lower-ranking officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the Americans are also very smart in this game. Trump has decided to come because he will be the one actually commanding the frame,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asean in the driver\u2019s seat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin and Ilango both agreed that the real test for Asean is keeping control of the agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin said Trump\u2019s presence may bring \u201cpolitical theatre\u201d, but it also opens a rare window for Southeast Asian leaders to hold direct talks on tariffs, supply chains and renewed economic cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Ilango said the high-profile attendance could also spark renewed competition for influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere will probably be a lot of visits from China coming to the region to show that they are not left behind. America will also try to get its act together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the heavyweights in the room, Ilango said the platform still belongs to Asean, as the convener of the East Asia Summit, which brings together leaders of Asean and eight other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt cannot take place without Asean, and it will not be held outside the region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asean\u2019s role is not about asserting dominance or visibility but has \u201calways been making sure that America and China behave in a predictable and stable manner. Constructive for everyone. So if that happens, that\u2019s good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 47th Asean summit and related meetings will also feature leaders from Australia, New Zealand and other partners, alongside a series of bilateral meetings, including possible US-China trade discussions, on the sidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am Thinking aloud! Can ASEAN Leverage Global Power Rivalries for Economic and Political Gain? ASEAN\u2019s Strategic Stage: A Platform for Trump, China, and Global Leaders? Turning Tensions into Leverage: Will ASEAN Benefit from Hosting Trump, China, and Others? ASEAN\u2019s Diplomatic Opportunity: Profiting from Power Politics Between Trump, China, and Beyond Can ASEAN Capitalize on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3501"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3502,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3501\/revisions\/3502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}