Questions about ASEAN offended Hegseth during a hearing in the Senate. What is it and why is it important?

BANGKOK (AP) — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, grilling president Donald Trump’s The defense secretary’s pick on whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international negotiations asked Pete Hegseth if could name a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nationsdescribe what type of agreement the US had with the countries and how many nations were in the bloc.

Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he could not tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, Britain and the United States) with Australia .”

“None of those three countries are in ASEAN,” replied Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois. “I suggest you do some homework.”

What is ASEAN and why is it relevant to the US?

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. An 11th country, East Timor, is due to join soon.

Established in 1967, its goal is to promote regional economic and security cooperation by leveraging a combined population of more than 650 million people with a GDP of more than $3 trillion.

Duckworth’s question came after Hegseth noted the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific, a region where China’s influence has grown rapidly and Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pressing territorial claims.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims to sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Seaone of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern over what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment into its exclusive economic zone.

What does ASEAN have to do with the US Secretary of Defense?

The US is a treaty partner with ASEAN members Thailand and the Philippines, and Washington has sought to leverage ASEAN’s regional influence as it seeks to counter Chinese influence and promote what the White House has called “a free and open region that is connected, prosperous, safe and robust.”

President Joe Biden said ASEAN was “at the heart of my administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy” and hosted a meeting of ASEAN leaders in Washington in 2022.

ASEAN also holds summit meetings annually, this year in Malaysia, which has the rotating chairman of the group.

Its defense meetings are typically attended by US Secretary of Defenseand its foreign minister meetings of US Secretary of State. The meetings culminate in an annual summit where the sitting US president regularly attends. Both Biden and Donald Trump have participated.

Why else is ASEAN important?

Despite some members’ territorial disputes with China, many in the bloc also have close ties with Beijing, and top-level Chinese officials also attend ASEAN meetings.

In 2022, the US was elevated to the top-level “comprehensive strategic partnership” with ASEAN – a largely symbolic status that put Washington on par with China, which was awarded the distinction the year before.

ASEAN emphasizes non-interference and personal diplomacy, and its breadth of membership and partnerships make it uniquely positioned as a forum to address major geopolitical issues.

In addition to China and the United States, ASEAN has formal relations with Russia, India, Australia, the European Union, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea and many others.

It hosts annual “ASEAN Plus Three” meetings with the leaders of China, South Korea, and Japan, “ASEAN Plus Six” talks that add the leaders of Australia, India, and New Zealand, and the East Asian Summit, which includes the Six Plus Russia and the United States.

The ASEAN nations are also central to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, a free trade agreement signed in 2020, creating the largest trading bloc in history.

The 10 nations plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand account for more than 30% of the world’s population and about 30% of global GDP. The agreement, conceived at the 2011 ASEAN summit, includes commitments on trade in goods and services, investment and other areas.

Several ASEAN countries are also part of the Pacific Rim Trade Pact known as Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnershipor the CPTPP, whose members also include Mexico, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Chile, Peru and Japan, and whose economies make up more than 14% of global GDP.