PHNOM PENH, May 31 (NNN-AKP) – The so-called Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), led by the U.S., is another strategy to undermine the centrality of ASEAN, and to create divisions among the bloc’s member states, a Cambodian academic said yesterday.
In an opinion piece, published in the English-language newspaper, Khmer Times, Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said, the IPEF, which includes a dozen Indo-Pacific countries, is designed to provide a counterweight to China’s economic clout in the region.
He said, the IPEF was joined by seven ASEAN members, with the exception of Cambodia, the 2022 ASEAN chair, Laos, and Myanmar.
The U,S. has repeatedly stated that, it is working to improve ASEAN centrality, but its recent launch of the IPEF “appears to be yet another strategy to undermine ASEAN centrality,” Sam said.
“How can the U.S. claim to work to strengthen ASEAN centrality, while paying attention to some ASEAN members and ignoring others? This is a kind of disbanding a group, not a show of solidarity,” he added.
Sam said, it should be noticed that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the 10 ASEAN member states and their five FTA partners, namely: Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
ASEAN’s existing trade blocs and partners “should be valued,” Sam said, adding, the U.S. only works with countries that have high trade exchanges with it and does not pay attention to those that may require their assistance, and even “accuses them of being too close to their competitors.”
There are also worries that the commitments the U.S. government made, concerning the IPEF are more symbolic than practical and its policies may not be durable, he added.
“Overall, it is clear that the U.S. is working to decentralise ASEAN rather than unite it, as the country has always wanted to bring many initiatives into ASEAN, such as AUKUS, Quad and now the IPEF,” Sam said.– NNN-AKP
