Abstract | The article analyzes how the ASEAN factor affects U.S. foreign policy in East Asia, where the interests of the United States and China are most acute. As the confrontation between the leading world powers intensifies, for them there is a need for this confrontation to enlist the support of other states located here and, above all, the influential and authoritative international organization such as ASEAN, as well as the assistance of its member states.Тhe struggle of the leading powers for influence on ASEAN is traditional for the Indo-Pacific region. It involves not only the United States and China, but also Japan, South Korea and India. The close, friendly, and even more so, allied ties of any of the major powers with the countries of Southeast Asia, united as part of ASEAN, certainly strengthen this country's position in the region and in the international arena. The positions of ASEAN itself are constantly strengthening, and its approach to regional problems is taken into account by major players. The author analyzes the new U.S. Indo-Pacific military strategy, published in the summer of 2019. In it, the American authorities directly say that they will seek to achieve their goals based on support of allies and partners in East Asia. In it the American authorities directly say that they will seek to achieve their goals with the assistance of their allies and partne.rs in East Asia. The main goal of the strategy is to create a military-political bloc in the region, aimed, as is known, against China and Russia. A new alliance will be formed on the basis of the long-discussed quadrangle (USA, Japan, India and Australia), to which some ASEAN countries (possibly the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand) are also supposed to be included. Indeed, the ASEAN states themselves are not yet eager to be in a military alliance under the auspices of the United States. Nevertheless the American diplomacy persistently courting the countries of Southeast Asia. Beijing is doing the same, and no less successfully. It is emphasized that ASEAN and Russia, unlike the superpowers, seek to create a regional security system in the interests of the majority of states. They are making efforts in order to keep the U.S. and China from intensify-ing confrontation and defuse the tense situation in East Asia. |
Keywords | USA, ASEAN, China, East Asia, BRICS, SCO, Silk Road, anti-Chinese coalition, U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, military political alliance |