In recent years, the game between China and the United States has intensified, from the first war to a full-scale confrontation, although the United States has not achieved its strategic goals against China, but has found another way to achieve its goals in Southeast Asia. According to a report by Reuters, due to the impact of U.S. sanctions on Chinese semiconductors, many semiconductor design companies in China have chosen to transfer high-end chip packaging to Malaysia in order to cope with risks. The head of Malaysia's largest chip packaging factory, Unison, revealed that they are currently expanding cooperation with Chinese companies and are not worried about US sanctions. This trend of industrial relocation is still only in the packaging link, because the United States only imposes sanctions on China's chip manufacturing, and does not take much blockade measures on the basic service of packaging. As a result, many businesses have turned to Malaysia, which has better relations with China. In this way, if the packaging is carried out in China, then the product will be regarded as a Chinese semiconductor product, which will be restricted by the United States in some international markets;If it is packaged in Malaysia, then the product will be considered as a Malaysian product and will not be restricted. This circumvention is exactly what many businesses have employed, and it has made Malaysia a region of concern.
Although Malaysia plays an important role in the semiconductor chain in the Asia-Pacific region, its own semiconductor market and production capacity are not ahead of other countries. However, as more and more companies adopt similar hedging measures, Malaysia is beginning to be seen as an important part of the future of global semiconductor packaging, testing and assembly. In other words, the industrial spillover caused by US sanctions is accelerating the upgrading of Malaysia's industry. It can be seen that the United States' suppression of China's industrial upgrading process has turned into another form. Although the immediate strategic goal has not been achieved, the industrial spillover brought by this hedging has brought huge benefits to Southeast Asian countries, which will be accompanied by more economic benefits and employment opportunities, and further drive more industrial upgrading. In the face of such interests, the ASEAN bloc originally held a neutral position and refused to get involved in Sino-US affairs, but it is likely to deliberately continue this conflict, and if necessary, create an incident of escalation of the Sino-US situation, and continue to absorb spillover industries and capital.
Recently, the Philippines has sparked geopolitical turmoil in the South China Sea, and the United States has strengthened its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. However, ASEAN has remained relatively silent and has not intervened too much in the Philippines' actions. This phenomenon may be due to the desire of ASEAN member states to profit from this.
It is worth noting that some members of the ASEAN bloc are also facing territorial disputes with China, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. For these countries, the presence of the United States can provide a level of support and protection, allowing them to be more emboldened when playing with China. In addition, the confrontation between China and the United States provides an opportunity for these countries to shift economic and industrial cooperation. They can attract spillover industries and capital by maintaining a certain degree of relationship with China in order to achieve their own economic upgrading and development.
As the confrontation between China and the United States continues to escalate, the United States' strategic objectives toward China have gradually changed to a more covert form. And in the process, Southeast Asian countries have become a region of great concern. In particular, Malaysia has improved the level of its own industrial chain and accelerated the process of industrial upgrading by absorbing the spillover semiconductor industry. In addition, ASEAN members have also taken advantage of the confrontation between China and the United States to seek their own interests while maintaining a degree of neutrality. However, all this also requires many risks and challenges, such as how to maintain a balance between China and the United States and develop its own economic power. Therefore, Southeast Asian countries need to pay close attention to the development between the two countries, respond to various changes in a scientific manner, and find more opportunities and new development paths for their own development.