Managing US-China Competition: The View from Singapore
The China-MENA Podcast
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17-Aug-2022
In a speech on May 26, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the Biden administration's policy toward China, which he characterized as the only nation with the will to alter the international order while relying on an increasing amount of economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so. According to Secretary Blinken, the US will concentrate on influencing Beijing's strategic environment to further its goals. In this period of strategic rivalry, the US will use the three-word strategy of investing, aligning, and competing. The Indo-Pacific region has been designated as the US's top priority theater, while the Middle East and North Africa are significant regions where the rivalry will play out.
In this podcast, Jonathan speaks to Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore and former Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.
They discuss the influence of the US-China Competition in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. They also discuss the difference between the Gulf and South East Asia regarding people, culture, religion, and perspective in this geopolitical competition. Moreover, Ambassador Bilahari states that the SEA region welcomes these extra-national powers within the region as they help the countries' economic growth and maintain the balance of power in the region. Lastly, Ambassador Kausikan provides some advice to Gulf countries regarding US-China geopolitics.
PUBLISHED: 8/17/22
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