What is Asean? Do not ask Pete Hegseth – Trump’s pick for defence secretary

Hegseth could not name a single member nation of Asean despite mentioning the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific to the US


Published Wed, Jan 15, 2025 · 04:59 PM

PETE Hegseth – Donald Trump’s choice for defence secretary – was left red-faced at a Senate confirmation hearing when he could not answer basic questions regarding Asean, the South-east Asian grouping of 10 nations.

US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who grilled Hegseth over whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international negotiations, asked him to name one member of Asean, describe the type of agreement the US had with the countries, and say how many nations were in the bloc.

All the questions drew a blank. Hegseth responded at the heated hearing that he could not tell Duckworth the exact number of Asean nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in Aukus (a pact among Australia, the United Kingdom and the US) with Australia.”
“None of those three countries are in Asean,” responded Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. “I suggest you do a little homework.”

What is Asean, and why is it relevant to the US?
Asean is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. An 11th country, Timor-Leste, will join the grouping soon.

Set up in 1967 to promote regional economic and security cooperation, it has a combined market of over 650 million people, and a gross domestic product of more than US$3 trillion.
Member countries Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have crossed swords with China over maritime issues, including competing claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea – a crucial waterway for shipping.

Indonesia has expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.

The US is treaty partners with Thailand and the Philippines, and Washington has sought to tap Asean’s regional influence as it seeks to counter Chinese influence.
The bloc holds top-level annual meetings. This year, they will be held in Malaysia, which is the current chairman of the association; chairmanship rotates among the members.

Its defence meetings are typically attended by the US defence secretary, and its foreign minister meetings, by the US secretary of state. The meetings culminate in an annual summit, which is regularly attended by the sitting US president. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have participated.

Why else is Asean important?
Despite some members’ conflicts with China, many in the bloc have close ties with Beijing. Beyond the US and China, Asean also has formal relationships with Russia, India, Australia, the European Union, Britain, Japan, South Korea and many others.

It hosts annual “Asean+3” meetings with the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan, “Asean+6” talks that add the leaders of Australia, India and New Zealand, and the East Asia summit, which includes the six plus Russia and the United States.

Asean nations are also a key part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, a free trade agreement signed in 2020 – creating the largest trade bloc in history.

The 10 nations plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand account for more than 30 per cent of the world’s population, and about 30 per cent of global GDP. Conceived at Asean’s 2011 summit, the agreement includes commitments on trade in goods and services, investments and other areas.

Several Asean countries are also part of the Pacific Rim trade pact, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, whose members also include Mexico, Canada, Australia, Britain, Chile, Peru and Japan.