Data from a multi-year trend analysis of Southeast Asian perceptions of China suggest that the region remains apprehensive about China’s growing power and influence. Yet in the face of greater uncertainty over the future of the United States’ leadership role in the region, the preference has been to try to keep the peace with China.
Category Archives: Long Reads
Southeast Asia and the Global South: Rhetoric and Reality
This article contextualises Southeast Asian countries within the Global South discourse, examining where they align with the characteristics generally associated with the Global South and where they diverge.
Anti-Corruption Politics and Shifts in Central-Local Relations in Vietnam
Since 2021, half of the members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam who were removed for corruption were provincial leaders, resulting in a decrease in provincial representation in the Committee from 40 per cent to 28 per cent. Moving forward, Vietnam must strike a balance between its anti-corruption efforts and the need to preserve provincial autonomy, to sustain economic growth at the local level.
The Impact of China’s Digital Silk Road on the Digital Domain of the Philippines
The Philippines’ outdated legal framework is unable to meet the new concerns posed by the large scale entry of Chinese technologies. The country’s institutions need to be resilient from foreign influence while accommodating investments that can bolster its digital push.
Corruption Eradication in Indonesia: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Public expectations for corruption eradication will never be met unless fundamental reforms are implemented within Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and other law enforcement agencies, including the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. Also needed are curbs on the cosy relationships between politicians and big business.
Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) in Indonesia and Vietnam: Implications for Southeast Asia
JETP implementation in Vietnam and Indonesia faces challenges such as significant financing gaps, criticisms regarding the attractiveness of financing packages, difficulties in aligning donor and recipient countries’ expectations, the complex political-economic landscape of the coal industry, and concerns over the social impacts of energy transitions.
Engaging Southeast Asia: The EU’s role as a Resilient and Reliable Middle Power?
The European Union (EU) is consistently seen in Southeast Asia as the preferred and trusted “third party” in hedging against the uncertainties of US-China rivalry and in its reputation for “doing the right thing” in the wider interests of the global community. But it needs to recognise the practical limitations Southeast Asian countries have in complying with its regulations and can do more to support capacity building programmes in the region.
Policies to Increase the Inclusiveness, Resilience and Sustainability of Economic Growth in Cambodia
To realise its aspirations to become an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050, Cambodia has to pursue inclusive growth that is also sustainable and resilient.
Bleak Future for Islamic Parties in Indonesia after the 2024 Election
This Long Read argues that the recently concluded 2024 Indonesian legislative election raises questions about the future of Islamic political parties. Their last strong showing was in the 1955 election, after which they have been experiencing a slow decline. They are now on the periphery of the country’s political arena.
The Impacts of Supply Chain Reconfiguration on ASEAN Economies
An examination of recent trade and FDI flows shows that ASEAN has been benefitting from the reconfiguration of global supply chains as a result of intensifying US-China strategic rivalry. But these gains could well be reversed if the US-China intensifies and leads to a sharp decoupling of global supply chains.