Cambodia soldiers participate in the country's 67th Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh on Monday. © AP

SHAUN TURTON, Contributing Writer
November 13, 2020

"The fact that Cambodia's in China's pocket now is just a real problem for the organization."

PHNOM PENH -- Meeting with U.S. diplomats in 2007, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding prime minister, offered a blunt assessment of some of the newer ASEAN members.

Late last month, another prominent Singaporean, retired senior diplomat Bilahari Kausikan, provoked a furious response from Cambodian officials by suggesting the country and Laos could be booted from ASEAN for ceding influence to a foreign power, a thinly veiled reference to China.

Laos was just an "outpost for China" and Cambodia's politics was "too personalized" around the country's longtime Prime Minister HE, the late Singaporean statesman said.

Cambodia in 2012 took unprecedented action against its fellow ASEAN members by scuttling a joint statement that conflicted with Beijing's position on the contested South China Sea, where several of its Southeast Asian neighbors are claimants.

"If you want to be part of a regional organization," Kausikan said, "you can't be entirely selfish. The patience of other members is not unlimited, and given the many challenges ASEAN is facing, if a limb becomes gangrenous, amputation may be the only option to save life."

"China is the proverbial threat or opportunity," Beeson said, "and ASEAN has never been able to make up its mind which it is ... and it doesn't want to be forced into making a choice on anything.

Kausikan says this debate has already begun. He noted ASEAN statements on the South China Sea in recent years have shifted from emphasizing consensus to expressing the majority view held by powerhouses such as Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, thus downplaying Laos and Cambodia's dissent.

"It is a small sign that members, while adhering to the principle of consensus, are beginning to redefine consensus so as not to let one or two members have a veto," Kausikan said. "Cambodia, in particular, should take note of this."

full.https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Intern ... -s-fringe2

A good conversation for ASEAN to have.

Alex wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 11:02 am I don't think Asean will have the balls to stand up to China, but I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong on this one!

ASEAN was created in an effort to counter the spread of communism in the region.... ASEAN will stand up to China if it's backed by the right organizations/ countries.

In all honesty, ASEAN has already stood up to China numerous times. Vietnam has clearly expressed its unwillingness to turn into another Cambodia, and Indonesians slaughtered hundreds of ethnic Chinese a while back. China kept relatively quiet when it happened.

China may seem big and mighty, but its only allies are shit hole countries that would go 180 in a heartbeat if things were to go south. So who do you think has more leverage? A US/ EU backed Vietnam or a Cambodia/ Lao backed China?

The "ASEAN Way" refers to a methodology or approach to solving issues that respects the cultural norms of Southeast Asia.
- "a working process or style that is informal and personal. Policymakers constantly utilize compromise, consensus, and consultation in the informal decision-making process... it above all prioritizes a consensus-based, non-conflictual way of addressing problems. Quiet diplomacy allows ASEAN leaders to communicate without bringing the discussions into the public view. Members avoid embarrassment that may lead to further conflict. (<< Wiki)

It is really (really really) important that outsiders, particularly USA, realises this is how diplomatic/political business in done in this part of the world.
Any efforts to box ASEAN into being a solid block of nations to directly challenge China would be woefully misguided. It is simply not the way things are done here.
It would also be both unrealistic and very unwise - diplomatically, economically and militarily.

Outsiders also need to get their head around the idea that every country in the region (incl Oz and NZ) see great opportunities from China's rise, despite their equally weighted concerns - and that it would be the hight of foolishness to set up a conflict ridden, binary situation.

We gotta be strong - stronger than we seem to be right now - but it is always going to be a dance with China for every nation in SEA.
Sorry - for those that want black and white easy answers.