US Reclaims Spot From China as Southeast Asia's Preferred Superpower

Survey Reveals Shift in Regional Sentiment as Concerns Over Chinese Influence Mount

- Lin Suling

The US has reclaimed its pole position as the superpower that Southeast Asia would pick if the region is forced to choose a side, a new survey found.

This marks a pendulum swing back after China edged out the US for the first time in the 2024 edition of the same study.

The findings, captured in the annual flagship The State of Southeast Asia study by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore released on April 3, revealed a shift in regional sentiment as concerns over Chinese influence in the region mount.

While Southeast Asian countries have often said they do not want to choose sides, the poll suggests a preference for a strong US presence to hedge against worries over growing Chinese dominance in the region.

About 52.3 percent of those polled said they would choose the US if Asean was forced to align with one side; the proportion stood at 52.9 percent for those respondents based in Singapore.

More than half of those polled (51.6 percent) ranked aggressive behavior in the South China Sea as their top geopolitical concern, citing apprehension over Chinese encroachment into exclusive economic zones and fears of an accidental conflict between an Asean member state and China as their chief worries.

The results suggest that countries in Southeast Asia see the US as a needed offshore balancer amid anxieties about rising Chinese assertiveness.

The study was conducted from Jan 3 to Feb 15, straddling the inauguration of a new US president.

The 2,023 respondents polled online included representatives from the private sector, academia, civil society, governments, as well as regional and international organizations.

In 2025, more have expressed confidence in the US' role as a strategic partner and in regional security, up 10 percentage points to 44.9 percent compared with 2024.