There and back again: What the Cold War for Southeast Asia can teach us about Sino-US competition in the region today
| Date | 01 June 2019 |
| Published date | 01 June 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702019855352 |
| Author | Wen-Qing Ngoei |
| Subject Matter | Lessons of History |
Lessons of History
There and back again:
What the Cold War for
Southeast Asia can teach
us about Sino-US
competition in the
region today
Wen-Qing Ngoei
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Abstract
This essay examines how the history of the Cold War in Southeast Asia has shaped, and
will likely continue to shape, the current Sino-US rivalry in the region. Expert commen-
tary today typically focuses on the agendas and actions of the two big powers, the United
States and China, which actually risks missing the bigger picture. During the Cold War,
leaders of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) played a critical role in
containing Chinese influence, shaping the terms of Sino-US competition and rapproche-
ment, and deepening the US presence in Southeast Asia. The legacy of ASEAN’s foreign
relations during and since the Cold War imposes constraints on Chinese regional ambi-
tions today,which militates against the popular notion that Chinese hegemony in East and
Southeast Asia is inevitable. This essay underscores that current analyses of the brewing
crisis in and around the South China Sea must routinely look beyond the two super-
powers to the under-appreciated agency of small- and middle-sized ASEAN actors who,
in reality, are the ones who hold the fate of the region in their hands.
Keywords
Sino-US rivalry, Cold War, Southeast Asia, United States foreign policy, Chinese foreign
policy, South China Sea, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
ANew York Times editorial cartoon by Patrick Chappatte from November 2018
depicts US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of the People’s
Republic of China as world-straddling colossi, towering over a map of the
International Journal
2019, Vol. 74(2) 301–312
!The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702019855352
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Corresponding author:
Wen-Qing Ngoei, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639818.
Email: wqngoei@gmail.com
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