Associated Press
[ Source: AP ]
Sen. Tammy Duckworth questioned Pete Hegseth on his knowledge of ASEAN, asking him to name a member, describe the U.S. agreement with them, and state how many nations are in the bloc.
Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn’t tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia.”
ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. An 11th country, East Timor, is set to join soon.
Established in 1967, its goal is to promote regional economic and security cooperation, leveraging a combined population of more than 650 million people with a GDP of more than $3 trillion.
Duckworth’s question came after Hegseth had noted the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific, a region where China’s influence has been rapidly growing and Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pressing territorial claims.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
