In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, the special summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was scheduled to be held in Washington from March 28 to 29, has been postponed. "Postponement" is what the US government says, and is actually "cancellation." In March 2020, the former Trump administration also tried to hold a special summit with ASEAN in Chicago, but this was also canceled. The last cancellation was evaded because of the corona wreck. This time, which was a series of cancellations, it was difficult to escape. The decline in the influence of the United States on Southeast Asian countries was exposed to the sun. Japan's Prime Minister Kishida visited Cambodia, the chair of this year's ASEAN Annual Meeting, just before the G7 emergency summit held at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on March 24. Being ordered by the US administration of Biden, he urged Cambodia as a "messenger" to hold a special summit meeting in the United States. But it ended in a miss. "Independent ASEAN, submissive Japan" was illuminated.
■ Show off US hegemony that has become a dream
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US government has announced that it will rally ASEAN leaders in Washington to hold a special meeting. Taking advantage of the Ukraine crisis to overthrow Russia's Putin regime and at the same time incorporating ASEAN into the long-standing concern of "siege China" is one of the Biden administration's most important tasks. Of the 10 ASEAN member countries, not only island countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei, but also the member countries of the Indochina Peninsula are incorporated into the US side as much as possible to form the Asian version of NATO, which is regarded as "the chief of Japan". It has been the centerpiece of US military policy toward the Asia-Pacific.
ASEAN countries are reluctant to criticize Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. China is strengthening ties with Russia and its share of total ASEAN trade has doubled in the last 10 years and accounts for about 20% in 2020. China has become ASEAN's largest economic partner, and that of the United States, which is declining year by year, has fallen below 10%. ASEAN also participates as an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which has become the "Eurasian Union" led by Russia and China, and is making efforts to strengthen ties with neighboring China and Russia.
Above all, the share of ASEAN itself in the total world trade in 2020 was 8.1%, which is about 2.1 times that of Japan. Although it is not as strong as the EU (29.4%), it is comparable to China (12.4%) and the United States (10.7%). ASEAN, which has advanced to economic integration, is moving out of the developing region that is overly dependent on aid and investment from former developed countries.
Under these circumstances, Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, who was a pro-US, announced a change of route, saying, "Don't force the choice between the United States and China," and declared independence on behalf of ASEAN countries. It has become a dream to call all the leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries that the US government has tried to show the unwavering hegemony of the United States both inside and outside the country.
[Photo] US President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of ASEAN at the White House on March 29, saying, "We are committed to putting ASEAN at the core for the future of the Indo-Pacific." He was supposed to bring all the leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries together for a joint press conference. But only Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was next to him. Singapore, which once raised the pro-US flag, has only imposed sanctions on Russia as if to soothe the United States. Biden's astringent expression stands out. AP ■ ASEAN + India is disappointed with Japan
ASEAN member countries have a history of being divided during the Cold War, including Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and suffering from a tragic civil war. Even if the Biden administration urged "whether to choose tyranny or democracy" with a view to China and Russia, now it is not dancing. Cambodia, close to China, responded to Prime Minister Kishida's call for the realization of the US ASEAN Summit Washington meeting, saying, "There are some leaders who are not in good physical condition and all cannot participate" (Prime Minister Hun Sen). It has been dismissed. Malaysia, the leader of the non-aligned movement, and the Philippines, which has made a major shift in foreign policy to pro-China-Russia routes, should not have taken any notice of the call from the United States and Japan as a messenger.
India, the great power of Asia, never goes into criticism of Russia in talks and statements with the leaders of the United States, Europe and Japan. The non-aligned movement that has persisted since the Cold War cannot be abandoned. The Japan-US-Australia-India framework "Quad" held an online summit meeting on March 3. Even if US President Joe Biden called on India's Prime Minister Modi to "in line and blame Russia", it never moved. Even more so, the call of Prime Minister Kishida, who entered India on March 19 and met with Prime Minister Modi, and British Foreign Minister Elizabeth Truss, who visited India on March 31, should not have been a tremor.
About 20 years ago, India approached ASEAN by launching a "New Look East" concept to learn from Malaysia. Malaysia, led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who set out a " Look East Malaysia Asia ,
■ Rethink "disregard Asia"
ASEAN countries, which have relied on official development assistance (ODA) and large-scale private investment from Japan, are now looking coldly at Japan. The Japanese people and the media have been swallowed up by the general trend that "Korea is disdainful, China, North Korea, and Russia are hostile, and indifferent to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia."
Following the Meiji era, even after the defeat of World War II in August 1945, Japan's tendency to "disregard Asia, emphasize Western Europe, and absolutely view the United States" became an idealism. No, it can even be said to be faith. There are also aspects created by the United States and Britain that benefit from it. With the exception of the previous war period since the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration, we are meeting at a time when we should correct the biased inclination toward the Anglo-Saxon alliance, which has been regarded as "a big tree to rely on." The crisis in Ukraine and the independence of ASEAN may imply that.