Senmao Xia: This study analyzes how ASEAN should position itself in the strategic competition between the United States and China. Interesting results were obtained via simulation. But more empirical studies could have confirmed or contradicted the simulation results. There are a few concerns within this manuscript.
First, I am glad to see that the authors considered my comments at the 2023 Asian Economic Panel Meeting in Dublin. Specifically, the paper adds one hypothetical scenario in which the United States and China partially decouple. Also, the China–India bloc was replaced by a China–Hong Kong bloc. As a possible future research direction, the authors could consider separating Europe from the U.S.–Europe bloc to investigate how ASEAN countries should position themselves when responding the three blocks, including, China, the United States, and Europe. The reason is that the Europe does not always follow the U.S. position when dealing with economic issues with China....