This important change has increasingly drawn ASEAN states, which share the common fear of intrusive outside powers, into the long-term strategic competition between the United States and China in Asia Pacific. In order to cope with China and avoid external intervention, Southeast Asian countries feel the need to act collectively and to lean on each other, so that they can have combined strengths as well as better bargaining power in both economic and political issues. The same will work when dealing with an amalgamated or regional community such as the United States and the European Union, or with international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation.