What’s on the agenda on the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Cebu? | USAEMALL.com

Seah said the shift could, in the short term, ease pressure on Southeast Asia, which lies in the Eastern Hemisphere. 

“The (document) tells us where the US’ attention will be, at least in the remaining (three) years of Trump’s administration,” she said. 

“In that regard, I think it’s not a bad thing – it gives Southeast Asia some breathing room to regroup, reconsider and re-strategise, and to see what more can be done to mitigate risks.” 

SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSIONS 

Closer to home, the Philippines will have to manage persistent tensions in the South China Sea, a key issue in ASEAN’s own backyard. 

The disputed waters have been a constant sore point for Manila, amid repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels. 

Philippine officials have accused Beijing of encroaching on areas well within the country’s exclusive economic zone, raising concerns over sovereignty, maritime security, freedom of navigation and the safety of Filipino fishermen. 

Manila is especially uneasy about developments near the Luzon Strait, a vital international waterway between the Philippines and Taiwan that connects the South China Sea to the Western Pacific.

“Manila is concerned that China could occupy Philippine territory in the Luzon Strait,” said Rahman Yaacob, an academic advisor to the Australian National University’s ASEAN-Australia Defence Postgraduate Scholarship Programme. 

“If the Chinese navy needs to safely move out from the South China Sea into the Western Pacific, they would need to secure the Luzon Strait to make sure that the Americans and the Filipinos could not attack Chinese warships.” 

These concerns are driving ASEAN to push for progress with Beijing on a long-delayed Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, which Manila is keen to advance during its chairmanship.