During a Senate confirmation hearing, the nominee for US Defense Secretary was questioned about his knowledge of ASEAN, a key regional organization in Southeast Asia. He was unable to name the number of ASEAN member states and mistakenly included AUKUS partners in his response. This gaffe has raised concerns about his preparedness for the role, particularly given the importance of ASEAN in US foreign policy.
choice for defense secretary over whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international negotiations, askedthat he couldn't tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS with Australia.”“None of those three countries are in ASEAN ,” responded Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. “I suggest you do a little homework.”Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.The U.S.
ASEAN emphasizes noninterference and personal diplomacy, and its breadth of membership and partnerships makes it uniquely positioned as a forum to address major geopolitical issues.
ASEAN US DEFENSE CHINA SOUTH CHINA SEA FOREIGN POLICY
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