Amid U.S.-China faceoff, EU offers ASEAN an alternative

Despite differences on Ukraine, trade ties are growing tighter

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The flag of the EU stands beside those of ASEAN and its 10 member countries in Singapore: Strategically, the blocs have a lot in common.  © Reuters

Dominique Fraser is a research associate at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Sydney.

While the members of the European Union and those of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are miles apart geographically and in terms of issues such as human rights and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the two blocs increasingly share a desire to assert strategic autonomy and contribute to the emerging multipolar order amid increased great power competition.

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