China is partner in growth and development of SE Asian nations: Scholar

US involvement in Southeast Asia is uncalled-for as “China is not a threat to Southeast Asian nations but a partner in their growth and development,” according to Dennis Etler, an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs.

The US military is planning to hold war games for the first with 10 Southeast Asian allies next month, with officials saying the naval drills are aimed at thwarting "wrongdoing" amid persisting rivalry with China for influence in the region.

The US Embassy in the Thai capital of Bangkok announced late Friday that naval forces of the US and member states of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will launch maritime exercises on September 2 from Thailand’s naval base in southeastern Chonburi province.

A statement released by the US embassy said the five-day naval war games aimed to "maintain maritime security, focus on prevention and preempt wrongdoing in the sea."

PressTV-US to hold drill with Southeast Asian allies for first time

The US military is to hold war games with 10 Southeast Asian nations for the first time in a bid to confront China.

Commenting to Press TV Professor on Saturday Etler said, “Fifty years ago the US was enmeshed in a genocidal war against the people of Indo-China. The nations of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, former French colonies were devastated by a US carpet bombing campaign that slaughtered millions and left their countrysides polluted by life destroying toxins, the worst example of chemical warfare ever waged in human history. All this was done in the name of containing China and the spread of Communism.”

“After a 30 year war against French colonialism and US imperialism, the people of Indo-China achieved their liberation and regained their sovereignty. They have aligned with other nations of Southeast Asia in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a trading bloc that has brought stability and economic growth to the region, in close association with China,” he stated.  

“The whole pretense for US involvement in Southeast Asia has been proven false. China is not a threat to Southeast Asian nations but a partner in their growth and development and a major focus of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This in no way threatens the US or its Western allies. Whatever issues exist between China and members of ASEAN in the South China Sea can be, and are being, settled by the countries involved with no need for outside intervention by non-regional actors such as the US,” he added.

‘US can't countenance losing its hegemony in SE Asia’

“The US however can't countenance losing its position of military hegemony in Southeast Asia or any other region of the world. It can only maintain its dominance by fishing in troubled waters, hence its desire to use whatever tensions exist in the region to further its own imperial ambitions by applying added pressure on China in its attempt to isolate it and derail its rise as a global power,” the analyst said.

“The countries of ASEAN are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They do not want to alienate either China or the US, which is still a major economic, military and diplomatic influence in the region. But, they should not forget the bitter fruit of previous US involvement in their affairs,” he said.

“The US is not concerned with the welfare of the people or nations of SE Asia. It is, as always, only concerned with its own prerogatives and benefit. The nations of ASEAN know full well that China, not the US, is the partner that will give them peace, security and prosperity. The US only offers war, tension and dependency. The nations of SE Asia should not forget the bitter lessons of history,” he noted.

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