US-China AI Race Pressures ASEAN's Neutrality — SkimNews
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- Southeast Asia turned great-power rivalry into an economic advantage for decades.
- ASEAN governments maintained healthy ties with Washington and Beijing, balancing both capitals rather than abandoning either relationship.
- ASEAN governments attracted investment, expanded trade and preserved room for diplomatic maneuver through those balanced relationships.
- China is competing with the US for artificial-intelligence dominance, turning ASEAN's formerly advantageous neutrality into a liability.
Why it matters: ASEAN governments, which maintained ties with Washington and Beijing, gained investment, expanded trade and preserved diplomatic room. The US-China AI race makes that two-sided strategy less useful, so a regional bargaining asset built over decades now operates as a constraint.
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