Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

Southeast Asia remains comparatively confident in international cooperation even as scepticism grows over whether the United States or China should take a leading global role, a new survey has found.

Analysts said the findings reflected a long-standing regional preference for keeping strategic options open, particularly among smaller and middle powers wary of an international order dominated by either Washington or Beijing.

“Seeking Security and Opportunity in a Stormy World”, released this month by The Rockefeller Foundation, surveyed more than 35,000 people across 34 countries on their assessment of global affairs. Its Southeast Asian grouping covered Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.

Southeast Asia was among the regions most positive about whether global cooperation was working effectively, scoring 63 per cent compared with 37 per cent for the US and Canada, 32 per cent for Oceania and 31 per cent for western Europe.