Southeast Asia's support for US over China increased under Biden admn: Report

Southeast Asia's support for the United States has likely increased with the winning of Joe Biden in the presidential elections, according to an annual survey by Singaporean think tank ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute.

According to the State of Southeast Asia survey released last week, 61.5 per cent of respondents prefer to choose America over Beijing in case they are forced to align amid the ongoing US-China rivalry.

"China as a choice dropped from 46.4 per cent in 2020 to 38.5 per cent in 2021, even despite intensive COVID-19 diplomacy seen in the region," the survey stated.

It further said, "The region's support for Washington may have increased as a result of the prospects of the new Biden Administration".

The survey was conducted from November 18, 2020 to January 10, 2021 covering regional affairs and geo-political developments, including but not limited to current issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 1,032 respondents from ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) memberstates participated in the survey.

While maximum people among the respondents preferred the US over China, about 76.3 per cent consider Beijing as the most influential power in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, the survey found that out of 76.3 per cent people, 72.3 per cent worry about China's growing economic influence.

"China continues to be seen as the most influential political and strategic power (49.1 per cent), which also engenders considerable anxiety over Beijing's strategic clout in the region (88.6 per cent)," the survey said.

"Only time will tell if the region's renewed trust in the US is misplaced or not," the survey highlighted.

( With inputs from ANI )