A majority of professionals surveyed in Southeast Asia chose China as preferred power over USA, which received more support last year, according to a report by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak institute and the ASEAN Studies Center published this Tuesday.
He 50.5% of those surveyed opted for China over the 49.5% who did it for the United States when asked which country they would choose if the Southeast Asian region had to forcibly opt for one of the two countries.
Last year, the 61.1% chose the United States as its preferred option, while the 38.9% He leaned towards the Asian giant.
The State of Southeast Asia report by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak and the ASEAN Studies Center (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) includes a survey on regional affairs among 1,994 professionals from business, academia, government, civil society and the media.
China appears as the most economically influential country for the 59.5% of those surveyed, compared to 16.8% that chooses ASEAN or the 14.3% to the United States, although a majority (the 67.4%) expresses more fear than optimism regarding the growth of the Asian giant’s commercial hegemony.
He 43.9% of those interviewed also believe that Beijing is more politically influential, compared to the 25.8% who opts for Washington.
“China remains the most influential country economically and as a political and strategic power in the region, while the United States has experienced a decline in its popularity as the forced option”Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak said in a statement.
However, Japan is the country that inspires the most confidence among those surveyed. (58.9%)followed by the United States (42.4%) and the European Union (41.5%).
Regarding the biggest challenge in the region, a 57.7% He said unemployment and economic recession are his biggest concerns, followed by climate change, while the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the crisis in the South China Sea and the war in Ukraine are also reasons for uncertainty.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma and in 2023 established a roadmap for the inclusion of East Timor.
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Source: Gestion
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