00:00This week on Wu says, we ask a defining question, can ASEAN stay neutral in a multipolar world?
00:07As rivalry between the United States and China intensifies, Southeast Asia faces growing pressure to take sides, even as it seeks stability and strategic autonomy.
00:18Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Wu Wing Tai explains why a neutral ASEAN supported by other middle powers may be the region's best hope to avoid becoming a proxy in great power competition.
00:32If the tensions were to go up, it becomes more important than ever for us to get as many other groups of other middle powers to join us in being neutral.
00:55And picking sides on an issue by issue basis because we do not want to be caught in a proxy war between the two powers.
01:07So the role of ASEAN by itself is not enough to affect the behavior of the two major powers.
01:18But if Malaysia, Brazil, South Africa and Nigeria are able to work together, pushing for the maintainer, we operate according to the principles of the United Nations and the principles of WTO.
01:40In other words, China, Russia and the US may play, may have conflict with each other, but then we will among ourselves, we will not repeat what the struggles that they are engaged in.
02:02They can put tariffs against each other, but we are not going to put tariffs against ourselves or to take a stand on anything but multilateral free trade system of WTO.
02:20Catch the full conversation on Awani International and across our social media platforms.
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