This is the first time Beijing has edged past Washington since 2020 when the annual survey first posed the question.
China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea is the Philippines' (90.2%) and Vietnam's (72.5%) top concern, the region's two frontline South China Sea claimant states.
The Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told Bloomberg last month that his government's claims on certain parts of the South China sea should not be viewed as provoking China.
Vietnam has also asserted sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea though Beijing has brushed aside those claims.
ASEAN should build up its resilience and unity to fend off pressures from the two major powers, the U.S. and China, nearly half of the survey respondents said.
Persons:
ISEAS – Yusof, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Kenddrick Chan
Organizations:
ASEAN Studies, Jan, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, China, Bloomberg, Philippines, U.S, LSE, London School of Economics, Political Science
Locations:
China, U.S, Washington, Beijing, Singapore, ISEAS, Indonesia . China, Japan, South China, Philippines, Vietnam, Southeast Asia