Southeast Asia is increasingly sceptical of U.S. commitment to the region as a strategic partner and a source of security, while China's reach is seen as growing both politically and economically, the study also showed. Six out of ten respondents said U.S. influence globally had deteriorated from a year ago and two-thirds believed U.S. engagement with Southeast Asia declined. Fewer than one in 10 saw China as "a benign and benevolent power," with nearly a half saying Beijing possessed "an intent to turn Southeast Asia into its sphere of influence". The study's authors wrote, "This result ... is a wake-up call for China to burnish its negative image across Southeast Asia despite Beijing’s repeated assurance of its benign and peaceful rise." The United Nations says 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar's Rakhine State to Bangladesh since the military's crackdown on insurgent attacks.

Source: The Star January 06, 2019 15:56 UTC