Chinese political scientist Zheng Yongnian has warned Southeast Asian nations not to assume US backing or leverage US-China tensions for their own gains, as such a strategy could backfire. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) face a delicate balancing act between the US and China, its largest trading partner, amid ramped-up naval presence by both Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea.
At the Boao Forum for Asia, Chinese political scientist Zheng Yongnian stated that Asean countries' attempts to exploit US-China tensions for short-term gains are understandable but have limits, beyond which the country itself will inevitably become a victim.
Zheng said regional nations 'should not assume that the US will back them or that they can leverage China-US tensions to advance their own interests.' He added, 'I think this is understandable. However, this approach certainly has its limits – if it exceeds those limits, the country itself will inevitably become a victim.'
As reported by the South China Morning Post, Asean members including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Manila face a precarious balancing act between the US and China, Asean's largest trading partner. Both Beijing and Washington have ramped up their naval presence in the South China Sea in recent years. Keywords reference Liu Zhenmin and the Strait of Hormuz, but Zheng's warning centers on Asia-Pacific dynamics.
Zheng's remarks underscore China's concerns over Southeast Asian strategies, urging caution against over-reliance on one side.
