Thai scholar's views on Obama Southeast Asian tour

BANGKOK, November 16 (TNA) - A Thai scholar sees US President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Southeast Asia as part of Washington’s attempted containment of China's influence in the region, warning that the tug-of-war between the two world powers may hinder regional integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Dr. Prapat Thepchatree, Director of the Centre for ASEAN Studies at Thailand’s wellknown Thammasat University said on Friday that Obama’s forthcoming tour to Southeast Asia reflects Washington's desire for more active roles in the region, particularly in economic and security affairs. Obama’s Southeast Asian trip will begin on November 18 in Bangkok, followed by his historic trip to Naypyidaw, Myanmar's new capital, the first for the US President, on November 19 and Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, for the 21st ASEAN Summit and related forums on November 20. Top on the agenda at the ASEAN Summit 2012 include complicated territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Dr. Prapat acknowledged that the tensions in the South China Sea, which are bilateral in nature, is exacerbated by the emerging US-Chinese tension. While the Thai scholar expects that ASEAN leaders will be able to mend the internal rifts created by the unsettled territorial issue at their upcoming summit, a long term challenge for ASEAN now is to pursue its shared interest within the context of the US-China rivalry, cautioning that ASEAN integration and initiatives could be derailed in the future by the global contest. Long courted by China and neglected by the United States, Southeast Asia has now become a central stage for the US so-called “Asia’s pivot”, a strategy launched by the Obama administration to maintain US global dominance in the 21st Century. (TNA)