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Southeast Asians reacted with a mix of laughter, dismay and disbelief at a viral clip of US president-elect Donald Trump ’s nominee for Secretary of Defence failing to name a single member of the Asean bloc when asked about the alliance in a confirmation hearing at US Congress.
Pete Hegseth, a veteran of the Army National Guard and a Fox News host with no diplomatic or administrative experience, was asked how many countries are in Asean – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – and to name a member nation.
“I could not tell you the exact amount of nations in that, but I know we have allies in South Korea , in Japan , and in AUKUS , in Australia where we are trying to work on submarines with them,” he replied to Senator Tammy Duckworth’s question.
In the clip, a visibly dismayed Duckworth, who was born in Bangkok to a Thai mother and American father, sighed and said “none of those countries are in Asean. I suggest you do a little homework.”
Asean represents more than 650 million people and is cumulatively the world’s fifth-largest economy.
The gaffe quickly spread across social media in Southeast Asia, including in Malaysia, this year’s Asean chair.