Southeast Asia Prefers Multilateral Cooperation Over US or China Dominance: Survey
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A comprehensive survey released this month by The Rockefeller Foundation has revealed that Southeast Asia maintains a notably positive outlook on international cooperation, even as scepticism grows regarding whether the United States or China should lead global affairs. The survey, titled "Seeking Security and Opportunity in a Stormy World," found that 63 percent of respondents in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore believed global cooperation was working effectively, significantly higher than comparable figures in Western nations .
Key Points
- The Rockefeller Foundation survey polled more than 35,000 people across 34 countries, with Southeast Asian responses collected from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore .
- Southeast Asia scored 63 percent in believing global cooperation functions effectively, far exceeding the 37 percent in the US and Canada, 32 percent in Oceania, and 31 percent in Western Europe .
- Only 39 percent of Southeast Asian respondents expressed comfort with the United States assuming a leading global role, while 37 percent said the same about China .
- A significant 61 percent of respondents supported countries collaborating to address global problems without either superpower taking the lead .
- Alejandro Reyes, a senior fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, stated that the findings reflected "a more fragmented global order" with widespread recognition of both American and Chinese power but limited willingness to accept either as the natural dominant leader .
Why It Matters
The survey findings underscore a fundamental shift in how smaller and middle powers view great power competition, preferring strategic flexibility over alignment with either Washington or Beijing . For Hong Kong, which occupies a unique position between China and the international community, this regional preference for multilateral approaches offers opportunities to leverage its connectivity advantages while maintaining productive ties with both superpowers .
The survey findings underscore a fundamental shift in how smaller and middle powers view great power competition, preferring strategic flexibility over alignment with either Washington or Beijing . For Hong Kong, which occupies a unique position between China and the international community, this regional preference for multilateral approaches offers opportunities to leverage its connectivity advantages while maintaining productive ties with both superpowers .