international
Southeast Asia boost defense ties but avoids firm alliances
Key takeaways
- Countries across the region are expanding defense cooperation in ways that change the South China Sea equation but fall short of a new anti-China bloc.
- Southeast Asian states are often presented as the smaller powers caught in the storm.
- That picture is changing, however, as a new and subtle security network takes shape across the region.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Countries across the region are expanding defense cooperation in ways that change the South China Sea equation but fall short of a new anti-China bloc.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fy W9A web of smaller arrangements is emerging in the region that make it harder for China to isolate one country at a time Image: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu/picture alliance Advertisement For years, the South China Sea has been seen primarily as a potential flashpoint in the intensifying geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States.
Southeast Asian states are often presented as the smaller powers caught in the storm.
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