The world is now preparing to face an aggressive policy following the victory of Donald Trump that will lead to more global economic uncertainty than during his first term.
His latest manifesto is predicted to be more 'harsh' than before, saying his mandate is to make the United States (US) more powerful at the global level.
Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian region known for its global supply chain, a major player in international technology trade and the world's second largest destination for foreign investment is the focus of world trade giants such as America and China.
The advantage exposes the region to significant risk with expected policy changes in Trump's second term.
During his first term, his policies were unpopular at the national level because he was vocal in his impulsive and rhetorical 'America First' approach.
However, what is the impact on the future of the market in the Asean region?
There is a high possibility that the economic flow of Southeast Asia will not be affected too much because it will not be a priority in Donald Trump's foreign policy agenda.
During his first time in office, Trump's presence at the ASEAN and APEC summits, especially the high-profile meetings, was seen to be driven more by the specific situation than by real interest in the region.
It is different from the approach of Obama and Joe Biden who are more strategically focused on the role of Southeast Asia in the US-China rivalry.
Trump 2.0 is expected to be more focused on fulfilling his campaign promises to immediately end the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East.
As Trump tends to be less interested in the region and skeptical of multilateralism, Southeast Asia may once again experience four years without Trump's presence at the ASEAN summit and minimal engagement with leaders in Southeast Asia.
Previously, Trump only attended the ASEAN summit in 2017 and failed to send cabinet-level officials to the summit in 2019 and 2020.
