EconomicrelationshipsDefencenetworksDiplomaticinfluenceCulturalinfluenceRegionalengagement2nd1st10th1st6th
2nd
Partner profile

United States

The United States is the second-most influential partner for Southeast Asia, after China. However, unlike China, which generally ranks in the top three partners for every country, US influence varies greatly, from the Philippines and Singapore where it is the top-ranked partner, to Laos, Brunei, and Myanmar where it does not rank in the top five partners. Overall, the United States is the leading source of cultural influence and defence cooperation for Southeast Asia, the latter by a very substantial margin, ahead of next-ranked partner Australia. But its diplomatic engagement is patchy, and its economic relationships are far outstripped by China, a gap that has grown since 2017.

The United States’ influence in Southeast Asia

How does the United States rank for overall influence in each Southeast Asian country?
2nd
Overall influence Southeast Asia
64.4
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