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Opinion | Europe is struggling to replicate Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act
- Trying to stay on the good side of two rival great powers is not easy as it requires balancing their interests in ways that are acceptable to them
- As the likes of France and Germany are finding out, following the example of Singapore and the Philippines is more difficult than it looks
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Cohabitation with China and the United States is proving increasingly complex for Europe, which is trying to learn from Southeast Asian nations the sophisticated art of surviving between the two great-power rivals.
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The scheme is long-tested but risky: one must balance the interests of Beijing and Washington in a way that is acceptable to both. Singapore has a strong security partnership with the US, which can access the Lion City’s air and naval bases on a rotational basis. At the same time, Chinese warships conducted joint exercises with the Singaporean navy last week.
The same goes for the Philippines, which last month concluded the largest military drills in decades with the US, its long-time treaty ally. Manila also said in April it would establish more lines of communication with China to resolve maritime disputes.
During a three-day state visit to China by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in January, the two countries signed 14 bilateral agreements, with Chinese investors pledging to funnel some US$23 billion into the Philippines.
Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew used to say that China must be balanced and only the US can do it. It seems that France and Germany, the European Union’s political and economic engines, are taking a page from his geopolitical rule book.
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On April 23, French drone manufacturer Cavok UAS signed a cooperation agreement with a Taiwanese counterpart for the joint development of an advanced surveillance drone. During a meeting with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, French Senate vice-president Alain Richard confirmed that a French warship recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait. Much like the US, France asserted that it had the right of freedom of navigation in the area, like every other country.
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