Obama’s Swan Song for ASEAN—Worse Than a Lame Duck

Obama brought leaders of the ten ASEAN nations to Sunnylands, California, for a two-day Summit starting Monday. The build-up for the event hyped the urgency that ASEAN speak with a common voice against China’s “bullying” and “aggression” in the South China Sea. As a Global Times editorial Tuesday reported: “Washington has reiterated that the summit is not targeted at China. It is perhaps not because it does not want to, but because it dares not, for it knows if it does so, many Southeast Asian leaders would not attend at all.”

Nonetheless, Obama’s National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, told reporters Monday: “We will be continuing to work with our ASEAN partners on a potential statement that we might issue together.”

Obama is also pushing for more members of the anti-China, self-destructive TPP, and some countries are considering it. On this, the Global Times editorial says: “The TPP is considered to be partly aimed at China. But if more ASEAN countries join the TPP, it will not help the TPP isolate China, but it will only complicate the issue. China has long been ASEAN’s largest trading partner.”

China trade with ASEAN was $480 billion in 2014 — more than twice ASEAN trade with the US. The Maritime Silk Road and the AIIB are offering both additional development and stability to the region.

Obama’s offer to ASEAN is pathetic. He will announce a plan to set up “innovation” centers within the US Embassies in Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia, part of his ASEAN-US Connect program. Ben Rhodes, Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor, told the Straits Times: “That’s what the US has to offer. I went to Laos in October. We are never going to invest as much in infrastructure in Laos as China or Japan, but we can bring a quality of investment and capacity building.”

Obama did manage to get in a round of golf at Sunnylands, Monday morning, “with three high school friends.” It was not reported whether or not they also got high, just like the good old days in Hawaii.