The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) is a defensive attempt at reasserting ASEAN centrality, and the importance of engaging smaller and middle powers of Asia. But instead of just asserting centrality, this paper argues that ASEAN should also achieve and earn a pivotal role in shaping the emerging 21st-century order in the Indo-Pacific.

In order to explore and elevate Southeast Asian perspectives on US–China competition, the Lowy Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations convened nearly two dozen Southeast Asian scholars and policymakers from around the region to discuss their perspectives.