US Strategy Toward Southeast Asia and Implications for South Korea
By Yongwook Ryu [Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore]
► The US and China are currently locked in hegemonic contest, and Southeast Asia has become a major battleground for their strategic competition. Driven by strategic considerations, the US has given much attention to two Southeast Asian nations, namely, Vietnam and the Philippines, and promoted its bilateral relations with them accordingly.
► The US has two major objectives vis-à-vis Southeast Asia. One is to curtail China’s growing maritime influence in the South China Sea, and the other is to secure a steady supply of critical minerals, including rare earth elements (REEs).
► South Korea must pay closer attention to what happens in Southeast Asia, as it indicates how the regional strategic environment is evolving and the supply chains are reconfiguring.
