It is possible that the various internal conflicts within the Asia region are adding to the attractiveness of America. Since there are tensions between Sothern and North Koreans, Bangladeshis have misgivings about Indians, etc. But when it comes to Asia America, trust issues seem to be better. Indeed, a recent survey conducted by Pew has proven this point statistically.
Pew’s Balance of Power Survey found that most respondents in eight Asian countries viewed America as their “chief ally.” Only Pakistan and Malaysia from Asia said they felt they were most comfortable with China in this realm.
The idea that a pro-US and a pro-China camp are both being built up in the region appears to have some traction based on Pew’s research. Two countries that named China as their chief ally also named the US as their main regional threat—as did China itself. Meanwhile, three states that said the US was their primary partner saw China as their nation’s main regional threat.
China on the other hand, does not view America as its closest ally, but rather Russia. This might be somewhat surprising, given the somewhat stressful history between the two nations. Returning to the topic of inter-Asian relations, again Pew found that there wasn’t all that much love lost. A mere 7 percent of Japanese respondents felt positive toward China with 8 percent of Chinese respondents feeling more or less the same about their Japanese counterparts.
Worst faring in the Pew survey was Pakistan, that no-one seemed to like particularly. Indeed, even though a large amount of Pakistanis (57 percent) named China their top ally, only 30 percent of the Chinese were positive about Pakistan.
How about America? How does America feel about Asia? Well, America does need its allies to balance China. But there again this is a two-way street since its allies need China to balance America. As a result of this, Asia-Pacific security has become heavily reliant on America with its economy dependent on China. Long-term this is not the best situation for America. So ultimately America should be deciding whether or not to continue its containment strategy, or work for advancement in Asia-Pacific’s region. So that’s where America is holding right now, vis-à-vis Asia.