If there was a scale of warm-neutral-cool for each country in ASEAN of what they want their relations with China to be like, the examples could be like Laos is warm, Singapore is neutral, Malaysia under Mahathir was definitely cool, although he was pragmatic.What we seem to be seeing now, is a classic case of someone overplaying their hand, turning people off and driving them away. Mahathir was cool to China, and yet he advises do not get close to the Americans.
Got to wonder how many countries is the rest of the world that is not part of the west, how does the Global South feel about it. If Mahathir is a barometer, then the United States has it work cut out for them in this diplomatic sphere versus China.
This also kind of means that any country allied too closely with the United States, such as the AUSUK alignment, will be viewed with suspicion too.
If the Americans are trying to play the divide and conquer game in the RCEP, old man Mahathir is saying don't let them get a foot in the door, when we might have expected him to open the door for that.
Times are changing.
