US-China AI Race Turns ASEAN Neutrality Into Liability — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Southeast Asia turned great-power rivalry into an economic advantage for decades.
- ASEAN governments maintained healthy ties with Washington and Beijing, attracting investment and expanding trade.
- ASEAN governments preserved room for diplomatic maneuver through that strategy of balanced ties.
- ASEAN neutrality is becoming a liability as the US and China compete for artificial-intelligence dominance.
Why it matters: ASEAN governments are the stakeholders: balancing two powers has produced three concrete advantages—investment, expanded trade and diplomatic room. The AI contest now makes that neutrality a liability, placing those economic gains and Southeast Asia’s diplomatic flexibility under simultaneous pressure.
Ask SkimNews
