KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Smaller countries in Asean should bank on “Asia” in the battle between the giants that are United States and China, said deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong.
The DAP leader said that the voices of smaller countries were more important than just picking a side, but instead should bring the opposing sides back to the middle ground.
“Small states are states too. They have their own agency, their own interests, and their own preferences, and it is important they do not see the world through the perspectives offered by the US-China binary,” he said in an opinion piece published on Lowy Institute’s website.
Liew said that both the “China Dream” and the US’ version of the Indo-Pacific strategy were attempts at exclusivity and he proposed that countries involved return to a common denominator that was the concept of “Asia”, while guiding China as a “responsible and benign” giant.
“We in Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations definitely have a historic role to play today. We have to pull the extremes back to the middle,” he said, referring to Asean.
“The realist in us will be prone to see great-power rivalry as inevitable. But there is time yet for us to remain optimistic. Especially if we highlight how small states or middle powers can exercise and express agency in the reality of the multipolar world order.”
He said that the first step was to consider which countries were included in the Indo-Pacific — whether China was considered part of the Indo-Pacific, and how was it different from the Asia-Pacific.
“What would be better is for us to resurrect the idea of ‘Asia’, which has been the ‘imagined community’ for a century at least. It has an anti-colonial and post-colonial undertones and is actively embraced by most people,” he said.
Liew said that in that instance, China could be an ally for smaller Asean countries instead of a force of evil as feared.
“Is China the malign force as described by the US? China is no doubt growing in geopolitical influence and military might. But is it an inherently malign force that has to be contained? Or China is a giant that can be moderated to do good for the international community?
“In fact, I see Malaysia and Asean to be playing the role of helping China become a responsible and benign giant that will not cause anxiety among small neighbours,” he said.
He also said the smaller states in South-east Asia are particularly crucial in this endeavour of creating as wide and inclusive a space as possible alongside the narratives conducted by the US and by China.
“Much more engagement among the littoral states in Asean, as well as with middle powers in the region and beyond, are needed.
“These states will need to organise better, as well. The promotion of the idea of Indo-Pacific, for example, has reminded Malaysia of the importance of the maritime domain. Also, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated Malaysia’s aspiration to be a maritime nation in his speech at Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in March this year,” he said.
Liew added that Australia used to have ambitions to be part of Asia, but as it seemed no longer keen, he said it was hoped that it, along with Japan, could play bigger a role in bridging the gap between US and China, instead of “playing it simple” and being on the US’s side.
“There are some efforts to recalibrate taking place already, but I am sure that there is a lot more we can do together to write the rules of engagement to achieve a multipolar world beyond the idea of Indo-Pacific, and with the clear aim of saving the world, especially our region, from calamity,” he said.
