According to a survey conducted by the Singapore-based think tank ISEAS, more people in Southeast Asian countries would choose China over the US if forced to align with one of the superpowers, marking the first time China has surpassed the US in this survey. Released yesterday, the survey involved approximately 2,000 participants from the 10 member states of Asean, with 50.5% opting for China compared to 49.5% for the US. This marks an 11.6 percentage point increase in respondents favoring China compared to last year, with significant rises in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Laos. However, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore still preferred the US, reflecting territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.