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Comment by Der_Einzige | Hacker News Reader

Go ask anyone in Southeast Asia which they'd rather have colonize them: USA or China.

They'll usually refer to China in terms like the "thousand year enemy".

> Reversing last year’s trend, a slim majority of ASEAN respondents selected China (52.0%) over the US (48.0%) if the region were forced to align itself with one of the two strategic rivals.

https://www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Stat...

I’ve only been to Vietnam but the answer there is it’s… complicated.

They’re culturally part of the sinosphere but of course constantly living in the shadow of your much, much bigger neighbour to the north does breed some ill feeling.

The USA on the other hand, well, they’re not particularly popular either for obvious reasons

The irony is much of the China-ASEA acrimony seems to be over China's aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Which was a dumb move because, given Chinese economic superiority, they could have just quietly negotiated 99 year military base leases and oil/gas extraction with the UN-recognized territorial owners.

Same outcome, less bad blood.

Seems a bit of an own goal to militarily force the issue and antagonize its neighbors, who it's trying to convert to its sphere of influence.

Yes the whole "wolf warrior diplomacy" stuff in the late 2010s was massively counterproductive for China and just pushed everyone else in the pacific back into the arms of the Americans.

The mask (if there ever was one) slipped and they revealed a lot of information they probably should have kept hidden about their intentions for no real reason.

However they did eventually realise this, they've completely changed tack and they're having a lot more success (helped by the US adopting their own failed policy).

You're right though, I'd imagine politicians in SEA countries haven't forgotten

Ask Latin America which they'd rather have colonize them.

We don’t want anyone to colonize us just like you don’t want your country to be colonized. China offers business opportunities while the USA and Europe seem to always look down on everyone else and impose their own values on others. China does not give a shit about how we run our countries as long as they can trust that deals will be honored. We don’t want to be taught how great your democracy is or whatever, we want our countries to become better by our own efforts, with fair deals when dealing with other nations.

Yes, of course, sorry for the expression. I just mirrored the expression used in the parent comment. What I mean is that the US have caused a lot of pain in Latin America.

This 100%. We’re neither the back yard of the USA, nor the front yard as Biden said, probably thinking that was a good thing.

Get the F off our lawn and stop dumping your rubbish on it!

> We’re neither the back yard of the USA

Go tell them, half of my country wants to CONTINUE being the USA backyard.

That's a worrying trend in the region.

And the other half wants to be China's instead. Clearly they are a strategic partner when it comes to AI technology, as for other areas I'm not convinced they would be an improvement.

> Get the F off our lawn and stop dumping your rubbish on it!

Big words... For a continent with zero nukes and negligible military power. That sort of delusional posturing worked wonders for Venezuela.

For once, we are in agreement.

That really depends on who you ask. If it's that bad then why did all of those countries sign up for the RCEP?

Grass is greener on the other side. Hegemony on the other side of hemisphere is greener or benevolent.

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