Asia

US tops China in power influence in Asia; ASEAN countries feature in top 10: Study

ASEAN’S QUIET RISE

Southeast Asian nations have a growing prominence in the Indo-Pacific region, with ASEAN foreign leaders expressing a need to be more forthcoming in the South China Sea and engaging cautiously with more powerful countries.

While most nations declined in scores, ASEAN members Cambodia, Brunei and Laos were the only countries in the study that saw gains, due to their increased activities in the regional bloc.

While the region has been undermined as “not particularly dynamic” and struggling to respond to challenges posed by greater powers, Ms Patton said the data showed that most Southeast Asian nations are highly networked and diplomatically active.

“(ASEAN) is far from the stereotype of being caught between superpowers. Indonesia in particular, continues to improve its scores in terms of overall power and also diplomatic influence, which reflects some of Indonesia’s recent activism like on Myanmar, and also Russia and Ukraine.”

Indonesia hosted the Group of Twenty (G20) major economies summit last year in a challenging geopolitical climate amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the latest chair of ASEAN, Jakarta has also stood firm on unifying the regional bloc’s response to Myanmar’s coup.

MIDDLE POWERS

Japan, third on the index and the largest of Asia’s middle powers, has been weakening in standings on wealth, economic size, and technological edge, causing a profound impact on its regional influence.

Traditionally a powerhouse in those aspects, the report showed that the nation is rapidly becoming a less important source of trade and investment for countries in Asia.

Tokyo has recently stepped up its military capability through joint training and defence dialogues, but the improvement was not enough to offset overall decline.

Meanwhile, the study described India as an “under-achiever”, having performed less well than expected given its available resources.

While its overall score has declined every year, the study said India, currently in fourth place, has enormous potential in economic and military influence in the region in the future.

Russia, which continues to rank as the fifth most powerful country in Asia, has dropped in scores across the board, with the largest decline in diplomatic influence as countries shun Moscow following its war on Ukraine.

Ms Patton said the research shows that the US-China competition is here to stay, with neither in a position to push the other out.

“The two countries – they each have their own enduring advantages. So if there is one lesson to take away, it is the fact that this kind of great power competition is something that’s here to stay.”

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