“China does not want to exclude other countries, but then it wants to kind of create a situation in which the so-called Western countries will not try to interfere in this region’s affairs, undermining the security interests of the members of the region,” he said.
“This probably applies to both the Southeast Asian countries and also to China. So it’s binding to both sides, rather than just China (dictating) that Southeast Asian countries should not work with foreign oil companies or with foreign countries in conducting military exercises in the region.”
STABILITY AND FRAGILITY
Amid the ongoing US-China tensions over a host of issues including tariffs, expectations are building over two reciprocal visits between Trump and Xi this year, starting with a touted state visit by the US leader in April, which analysts say will test how far both countries are willing to steady ties.
When asked about the state of US-China relations, Jia said ties were relatively stable but also “quite fragile”.
Despite some ups and downs, especially over tariffs, US-China relations have “stabilised to some extent, with joint efforts on both sides”, he said.
Both sides have not reached a trade deal yet, and it would likely not happen “in the near term”, Jia believes.
“I think probably the most important reason is that the US does not want to have a trade deal in the short term,” he said.
“Why? Because if (Trump) makes a trade deal with China, he has to make more concessions than he would do with other countries, and he hasn’t reached trade deals with other countries yet,” he said.
Source: CNA
