{"id":2596481,"date":"2026-04-29T06:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/where-does-east-asia-stand-in-the-us-china-battle-for-influence\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T06:37:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:37:56","slug":"where-does-east-asia-stand-in-the-us-china-battle-for-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/where-does-east-asia-stand-in-the-us-china-battle-for-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"Where does East Asia stand in the US-China battle for influence?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhere-does-east-asia-stand-in-the-us-china-battle-for-influence%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2596481&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>East Asian countries long tried to balance U.S. and Chinese influence, but intensifying rivalry-and shifting U.S. leadership under Donald Trump-has increasingly pushed them to choose sides. While China has outcompeted the U.S. economically across East Asia, the U.S. still leads overall power in the region, including military, cultural, and human-capital capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Yun Sun of the Stimson Centre says diplomatic competition under Trump\u2019s second term has eased somewhat, yet countries in the region have become more firm in the alignments they had already started forming. She argues China\u2019s effort-after Trump\u2019s first months-failed due to a mix of \u201carrogance\u201d and \u201ccold calculation,\u201d including attempts to peel longtime U.S. allies such as South Korea and Japan away from Washington.<\/p>\n<p>An ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey of about 2,000 Southeast Asian elites shows a slight 52% preference for China over the U.S. if forced to pick, but opinions split sharply by country. indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Brunei lean pro-China, while the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, and vietnam lean more pro-U.S.; Laos is divided. sun attributes the pattern largely to geography and history: maritime Southeast Asian countries tend to be more pro-China, driven by economic advancement and Chinese engagement (trade, infrastructure, and investment). Mainland states are generally more resistant because of China\u2019s political role and involvement, which can generate backlash-especially in places where China backs authoritarian governments or is tied to unpopular foreign-policy disputes.<\/p>\n<p>In U.S.-aligned maritime democracies (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan), China\u2019s \u201cWolf Warrior Diplomacy\u201d has also backfired, according to research from Waseda University, which found the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >aggressive diplomatic style strengthened adherence<\/a> to democratic systems and harmed China\u2019s image. At the same time, U.S. actions have hurt American favor in parts of Southeast Asia; Sun notes that support for Israel in the Gaza war damaged U.S. popularity, contributing to unusually strong pro-China sentiment in Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia.<\/p>\n<p>Thailand stands out as an outlier that shifted toward china between 2025 and 2026.Sun links this to Thailand\u2019s centuries-long tradition of balancing competing foreign powers as it preserved independence without being colonized, meaning its current swings between the U.S. and China resemble an older balancing strategy, possibly reinforced by domestic politics and regional conflict with Cambodia.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>East <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/asia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2545\">Asian<\/a> countries have long balanced U.S. and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"232\">Chinese<\/a> influence, but the two countries\u2019 intensifying rivalry is increasingly pushing them to choose a side.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-odonnell-what-the-founders-can-teach-us-about-supply-chains-and-dependency\/\" title=\"Exclusive--O&#039;Donnell: What the Founders Can Teach Us About Supply Chains and Dependency\">explosive economic growth<\/a> over the past few decades has threatened the United States\u2019s long-standing role as the dominant power in East Asia, with China now outcompeting the U.S. in trade in every East Asian country. Despite this, the U.S. still ranks as the region\u2019s No. 1 power, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/power.lowyinstitute.org\/countries\/united-states\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/power.lowyinstitute.org\/countries\/united-states\/\">per<\/a> the Lowy Institute\u2019s Asia Power Index, through its military, cultural, and human capital capabilities. Washington and Beijing have spent the last several years consolidating their relationships, pushing countries in the region to pick a side in the power struggle that has come to consume geopolitics worldwide.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4546294\/starmer-escapes-inquiry-mandelson-vetting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Starmer escapes inquiry on Mandelson vetting by a Parliament vote<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4545720\/ukraine-eu-object-russia-fleet-vessel-carries-grains-docked-israel-port\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ukraine and EU cry foul over Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying grains docked at Israeli port<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4545540\/united-arab-emirates-quits-opec-alliance\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>United Arab Emirates quits OPEC alliance<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-chessboard-settles\">The chessboard settles<\/h2>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s return to power upended the world order, but 15 months in, the chessboard in East Asia has begun to settle, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stimson.org\/ppl\/sun\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.stimson.org\/ppl\/sun\/\">Yun Sun<\/a>, director of the China Program and co-director of the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cYes and no,\u201d she answered when asked if the diplomatic competition between China and the U.S. has intensified under Trump\u2019s second term. \u201cI will say that the diplomatic pulling and hauling has de-escalated, in a way, but not entirely. And we\u2019re also seeing countries in the region are more steadfast about the choices that they already made, even before Trump became the president.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Beijing tried to capitalize on the period of uncertainty that followed Trump\u2019s first few months in office but \u201cfailed pretty splendidly,\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n<p>This failure was due to \u201carrogance\u201d in Beijing but also \u201ccold calculation.\u201d China attempted to pry longtime U.S. allies South Korea and Japan from the U.S., but its own internal logic sabotaged this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chinese adopted this view that now the Trump presidency is more unpredictable and uncertain, so China does not need to show as much benevolence for these countries to become closer to China,\u201d Sun explained. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chinese logic is that U.S. support of these allies may not be as solid as before, so as a result, these countries should naturally rebalance their relationship with China and to recalculate their distance between the U.S. and China. They should become closer to China without China having to do anything \u2026 and that\u2019s not what happened,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-50-50-split\">A 50\/50 split<\/h2>\n<p>The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute published its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iseas.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-State-of-Southeast-Asia-2026-Survey-Final-Single.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.iseas.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-State-of-Southeast-Asia-2026-Survey-Final-Single.pdf\">annual report<\/a> surveying about 2,000 opinion leaders and elites in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations earlier this month, finding a slight majority of 52% preferred China over the U.S. if forced to choose. However, the answers differed by country, putting the five countries into distinctive camps.<\/p>\n<p>When presented with the hypothetical of being forced to choose between the U.S. and China, in the pro-China camp were Indonesia at 80.1%, Malaysia at 68%, Singapore at 66.3%, Timor-Leste at 58.2%, Thailand at 55%, and Brunei at 53.5%. In the pro-U.S. camp were the Philippines at 76.8%, Myanmar at 61.4%, Cambodia at 61%, and Vietnam at 59.2%. Laos was split between the two.<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, it\u2019s difficult to find any pattern among the two camps. Upon closer inspection, Sun argued, geography and history explain the groupings clearly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is surprising here is that we used to think that China had more stronghold in mainland Southeast Asia, because in mainland Southeast Asia they used to be communist countries,\u201d she said, recalling the communist dictatorships in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. \u201cYou would think that mainland Southeast Asia should have a better view of China, but it\u2019s exactly the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, the maritime Southeast Asian countries are much more pro-China. Sun believes this is due to a focus on economic development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn maritime Southeast Asia, which traditionally are better developed \u2026 more of a higher socio-economic status \u2026 what the Chinese are able to do with these countries, especially through Chinese economic engagement with Chinese trade, with Chinese infrastructure development \u2026 has bought them a lot of hearts and minds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>While onlookers might expect the maritime countries to have a bigger interest in cultivating a relationship with the world\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-huge-military-disadvantage-congressman-writes-usmc-general-requests-disclosure-over-vaccine-related-troop-dismissals\/\" title=\"\u2018A Huge ... Disadvantage\u2019: Congressman Writes USMC General, Requests Disclosure Over Vaccine-Related Troop Dismissals\">preeminent naval power<\/a>, they\u2019re instead more focused on trade and economic development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe public opinion in maritime Southeast Asia has very different aspirations. In maritime Southeast Asia, they prioritize trade, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/guatemala-election-bidens-dream-leader-bernardo-arevalo-rides-anti-graft-wave-to-power\/\" title=\"Guatemala election: Bernardo Arevalo, Biden&#039;s favored leader, wins on anti-corruption platform.\">prioritize economic development<\/a>, and the U.S. is really not doing as much as China has. But in mainland Southeast Asia, where China has played the dominant role in the political domain, that has generated a pushback against China,\u201d Sun explained.<\/p>\n<p>This is reflected in the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey; the No. 1 threat respondents said could risk turning the perception of China negative was \u201cdomestic interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This mainland effect is enacted differently across East Asia. In Cambodia and Myanmar, for instance, China is a major backer of the authoritarian government and military junta, respectively, making it unpopular among the populace. In Vietnam, China is unpopular among both the populace and government over its revanchist foreign policy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gaza-wolf-warrior-diplomacy-and-a-historical-foreign-policy-stretching-back-hundreds-of-years-factor-in\">Gaza, \u2018Wolf Warrior Diplomacy,\u2019 and a historical foreign policy stretching back hundreds of years factor in<\/h2>\n<p>Among the U.S.\u2019s main maritime democratic allies \u2014 Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan \u2014 all are still firmly in the U.S. camp, helped along by China\u2019s so-called Wolf Warrior Diplomacy. The term, originating from revanchist Chinese action movies, denotes an aggressive, public stance of Chinese diplomats that includes nationalist rhetoric and picking fights with specific lawmakers and statesmen.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, a Japanese research team from Waseda University published a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/87948\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/87948\">research paper<\/a> showing that \u201cWolf Warrior Diplomacy\u201d had a demonstrably negative effect in the three countries, solidifying adherence to their democratic systems and fostering a negative image of China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur results show that \u2018Wolf Warrior\u2019 messaging may fail to win public support and can even damage the sender\u2019s reputation. In addition, it highlights that democratic values in East Asia remain resilient, even when exposed to forceful anti-democratic rhetoric,\u201d Professor Tetsuro Kobayashi said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-state-dept-hire-downplayed-chinese-military-threat-deflected-blame-for-covid-pandemic\/\" title=\"Biden State Dept Hire Downplayed ... ... Threat, Deflected Blame for COVID Pandemic\">foreign policy behavior<\/a> of the U.S. had its own casualties in East Asia. U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza cratered its popularity in the majority-Muslim countries in Southeast Asia, Sun said. Indonesia, the largest Muslim country on Earth and formerly one of the closest U.S. allies in the region, was the most pro-China country surveyed by ISEAS by a large margin. Malaysia, another Muslim bastion, came in second.<\/p>\n<p>The one major outlier was Thailand, a long-standing U.S. ally, which shifted in position drastically from 2025 to 2026, now favoring China. Sun identified the reason as Thailand\u2019s unique position in history as the only East Asian country to have never been colonized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThailand is the only country \u2026 in East Asia that was never colonized, and the reason was that Thai authority has always been very good at balancing different colonial powers against each other, and in the end, earned their independence, if you will, from another colonial power,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4542288\/panda-diplomacy-china-send-two-bears-zoo-atlanta-trump-xi-summit\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4542288\">PANDA DIPLOMACY: CHINA SENDS TWO BEARS TO ATLANTA AHEAD OF TRUMP-XI SUMMIT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe balancing diplomacy has been almost a core of Thai foreign policy for centuries,\u201d Sun added, arguing that its current shift between U.S. and Chinese influence is simply another incarnation of this pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Thai domestic politics and its war with Cambodia may also have had a role, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rivalry between the U.S. and China is forcing East Asian nations to choose sides, as China\u2019s trade edge grows<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2596482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP050222021276.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3817,53610,32404,78791,38875],"class_list":["post-2596481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-diplomacy","tag-east-asia","tag-geopolitics","tag-regional-influence","tag-us-china-relations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP050222021276.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2596481"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596485,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596481\/revisions\/2596485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2596481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2596481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2596481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}