U.S. engagement with ASEAN serves U.S. geopolitical interests: Malaysian analyst

STORY: U.S. engagement with ASEAN serves U.S. geopolitical interests: Malaysian analyst DATELINE: May 22, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:33 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: various of Kuala LumpurSOUNDBITE (English): LEE PEI MAY, Political analyst of International Islamic University Malaysia STORYLINE: A Malaysian political expert says the U.S. attempt to court support among ASEAN in pursuit of its geopolitical interests is unlikely to gain traction. The U.S.-ASEAN summit held last week is widely seen as an attempt by the world's sole superpower to pull members of the bloc into its camp against a rising China. SOUNDBITE(English): LEE PEI MAY, Political analyst of International Islamic University Malaysia "Even the U.S. administration, they agree that this (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework) is still a work in progress. So basically, they have no full plan as to what they can truly offer to ASEAN. It's not a surprise that the U.S. always has this grand plan to engage with different parts of the world