What Is Asean, Union Referenced In Hegseth Hearing

Sen. Tammy Duckworth put Pete Hegseth’s foreign policy chops to the test during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday as President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. 

The Illinois Democrat asked Hegseth to name one country in ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, that was important to the U.S. She then asked how many countries were in the grouping. 

Hegseth conceded he did not know, but went on to note U.S. alliances with South Korea, Japan and Australia. Duckworth noted none of those countries are in ASEAN. 

"I suggest you do a little homework," she said. 

The 10 members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are “observer states.”

President Biden in 2022 welcomed leaders of all ASEAN countries to Washington for a summit aimed at underlining U.S. support for the region, a key battleground in America’s rivalry with China. 

The U.S. enjoys close relations with Thailand and the Philippines, where it has expanded its military presence under Biden, and has seen warming ties with Vietnam. 

However, many Southeast Asian countries enjoy cozy relations with Beijing and have been major beneficiaries of the Belt and Road Initiative. China is also seen as a key backer of Myanmar’s junta, which is embroiled in a civil war. 

Some of the region’s major economies, like Malaysia and Indonesia, have managed to maintain strong trade relations with both the U.S. and China, while striking a delicate diplomatic balance.

ASEAN unity has at times been stressed by the competing claims between some of its members and China in the South China Sea, a crucial global shipping route. 

The union has largely failed to restore some semblance of stability in Myanmar, where the United Nations says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since a 2021 coup against the democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains imprisoned. 

However, the grouping has mostly managed to stay focused on areas of agreement, and its global influence is set to expand along with its collective economies. Taken together, ASEAN represents the fifth-largest economy in the world. 

It could also play a key role in a potential trade war between President-elect Trump and Beijing, with Chinese exports to the region soaring in recent weeks.

Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, has predicted that Trump may pressure ASEAN members to pick sides between the U.S. and China, something they have studiously avoided. 

“And despite great confidence among U.S. policymakers from both parties, the U.S. might not win if countries are forced to choose,” he wrote in the Japan Times. 

“China is by far the dominant economic power in the region and increasingly provides the infrastructure for the region to function. A bullying approach usually does not work in Southeast Asia, and even under Biden, Southeast Asian states seem unhappy with a perceived U.S. disengagement from the region.”