In contrast, confidence in US leadership appears to be “more unevenly distributed” across ASEAN member states although levels remain high especially in Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste.
The EU, meanwhile, was among the top choices for Singapore, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
Besides international law, ASEAN also ranked first in championing the global free trade agenda, with 25.5 per cent of respondents saying they had the most confidence in the regional bloc as compared to other actors.
On intra-regional economic cooperation, the most commonly cited impediments were ASEAN member states’ domestic technocratic implementation capacities, disparities in their economic development, and geopolitical pressures which may influence individual member states to prioritise their national interests over regional interests.
The regional bloc needs to move beyond rhetoric and focus on delivery, said Joanne Lin, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre at the institute.
Amid shifting global geopolitical dynamics, Kraft of the University of Philippines said it is more important for ASEAN countries to strengthen relationships among themselves.
“If we want more stability, if we want more certainty, then I think the ASEAN countries need to provide it for themselves, much more than actually looking at other countries – external powers or their dialogue partners – to provide that,” he said.
Instead of geopolitics, however, “climate change and more extreme weather events” was cited by the highest number (60 per cent) of respondents as one of the top three challenges facing Southeast Asia. It surpassed “intensifying economic tensions between major powers” and “domestic political instability”.
Kraft said it reflects how climate change is increasingly affecting everyday life in the region – including through more frequent and intense typhoons that have caused floods and damaged agricultural economies.
“It is not surprising that climate change remains the most important consideration … especially for coastal and archipelagic states,” he said.
On whether governments are doing enough in response, Kraft said that there is an “unevenness of capabilities” across the region, which has limited the effectiveness of efforts to address climate impacts.
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