Impossible trinity drives Southeast Asia’s prudent hedging

July 6, 2024

In Southeast Asia, hedging is a pragmatic policy that maintains options and mitigates risks. While some ASEAN states, like the Philippines, are aligning more closely with the United States, most are pursuing a more inclusive and selective approach to partnerships, ensuring concurrent engagement with China and the United States. This approach is more desirable in the absence of a clear-cut threat and allows states to maximise other goals while keeping their security options open.