Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - AlthoughSoutheast Asia countries are spending more on military defence equipment, itdoesn’t mean they are increasing the risk of conflict in the region, accordingto Tim Huxley, Executive Director at the International Institute for StrategicStudies.

Speaking at a session on understandingAsia’s new balance of power, one of the activities as part of the 2018 WorldEconomic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) in Hanoi, Huxley revealed some surprising numbers onregional arms spending.

In 2017, Southeast Asian countries spendmore than 39 billion USD on defence. According to Felix Heiduk from the GermanInstitute for International and Security Affairs, total defence spending ofASEAN states doubled over the last 15 years in absolute terms, with countrieslike Indonesia and Thailand witnessing military expenditure growth rates of 10 percentyear-on-year.

But Huxley said there’s no need to panicyet.

“They are mainly doing this commensuratelywith their economic growth, which has been famously rapid for most of thecurrent century,” he said.

He also pointed out that while thewidespread impression was that regional states’ escalating military spendingwas about China, it was actually misleading.

No other regional state comes close tocompeting with China, which in 2017 alone spent 151 billion USD on arms, hepointed out.

For example, despite its tiny size,Singapore is by far the biggest defence spender in Southeast Asia, outspendingeven Indonesia, which has 45 times more people. Yet Singapore has noterritorial claims in the East Sea, he said.

“Southeast Asian countries might not needmilitary equipment for the same reasons as western countries. For somecountries it might be countering insurgents, for others it might be counteringinternal political issues,” he said.

When asked about how ASEAN has prepared fora potential conflict between major powers in the East Sea, Tim said he saw verylittle.

“I don’t see any ASEAN preparation for thisor willingness to do this. There would be consultation among members but as awhole they have been unable to present a strong common front on the issue ofthe East Sea and this has helped China get away with it,” Tim said.

He cited the fact that in reality China hadcontinued to militarise islands, deploying military aircrafts and missiles tothe area.

“And there’s no sign that is going tostop,” he said.

On the matter, Robert Girrier, President ofthe US’s Pacific Forum, reminded that the ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal onthe case of China and the Philippines was a clear statement, and that thereneeds to be a multilateral mechanism to challenge China’s stake on the EastSea.-VNA