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Fresh Wave of Chinese Diplomacy Bolsters Resistance to US in Southeast Asia

Ralph Jennings

   TAIPEI, TAIWAN - China scored points in Southeast Asia against the
   United States, a rivalsuperpowertrying to curtail Chinese influence
   abroad, through a slate of ministerial visits last week, analysts in
   the region believe.

   Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saw officials in Cambodia, Laos,
   Malaysia and Thailand from October 11-15, media outlets in China say.
   His visit followed[1]Defense Minister Wei Fenghe's trip to Southeast
   Asiain September.

   Wang's meetings in countries that are historically sympathetic to
   China, sometimes eschewing U.S. influence, will
   helpcountereffortsbyWashington to get governments in the 650
   million-population Southeast Asian region on its side, the experts say.

   U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo pledged in July to support
   countries threatened by Chinese expansion, and China has irked much of
   Southeast Asia by fortifying contested maritimefeatures. Earlier this
   month, Pompeo accused China's governing Communist Party of
   "exploitation, corruption and coercion."

   "It's[Wang's visit is]definitely a response to Pompeo's call for
   uniting against the Chinese Communist Party and its policies," said
   Carl Thayer, Southeast Asia-specialized emeritus professor at the
   University of New South Wales in Australia. "It's a counter-echo."

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/experts-china-renewing-effort-squelch-us-influence-southeast-asia

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