Tricky balancing act for Asean leaders

On managing the US-China rivalry at the East Asia Summit (EAS), Professor James Tang, Dean of SMU School of Social Sciences said China, like the US, will try to shape the EAS agenda in a direction it would be comfortable with and noted that suspicions raised over China's growing links in the region have led its policymakers to feel ambivalent about the EAS. Prof Tang also shared that China seemed to be on the wrong side. If it was too active, people were fearful about it becoming too assertive. But if it stayed a bit more aloof, then it was not assuming the kind of regional responsibilities it ought to be taking on.