CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Recent days have seen the emergence of a number of cliches in the press with reference to policies and trends in Asia and particularly to ASEAN. Among the most common are the following:
* The new administration in Washington will probably treat China in a more antagonistic manner, given U.S. President George W. Bush's earlier statement about China being a "strategic competitor" and not a "partner" of the United States. Therefore, say pundits, tensions may loom on the horizon.
* ASEAN is slipping more and more into irrelevance as the 30-year-old organization persists in clinging to the outdated notion of noninterference in members' domestic affairs.