ARTICLES

3 Nov 2026

ASEAN@60 Special Edition

The Future of ASEAN-China Dialogue Partnership

Zha Daojiong

Zha Daojiong argues that the future of the ASEAN-China dialogue partnership will depend not only on deepening economic integration, but also on managing industrial competition, addressing economic asymmetries and sustaining dialogue to resolve shared concerns.

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn meets European External Action Service (EEAS) Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs H.E. Olof Skoog at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 29 April 2026. (Photo from ASEAN / X)

7 May 2026

The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey

Southeast Asia: Not Choosing Sides but Options

Joanne Lin|Melinda Martinus

Dealt a tough deck of geopolitical cards, Southeast Asia wagers on flexibility and plurilateralism.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations ASEAN-US Relations State of Southeast Asia Survey

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L) meets with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd R) during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on 11 July 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP)

7 Apr 2026

The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey

A Harder Balance to Keep in Southeast Asia

Joanne Lin

Southeast Asia has traditionally preferred not to take sides in the long-standing Sino-US rivalry. A fall in confidence in the US makes this a harder choice to make.

ASEAN-China Relations ASEAN-US Relations State of Southeast Asia Survey

9 Feb 2026

Thailand’s Trade Imbalance and Stunted Industrialisation: Will the Upgraded ASEAN-China Trade Agreement Help?

Juthathip Jongwanich

Thailand could leverage on the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) to redress its burgeoning trade deficit with China and get its industrial development plans back on track.

ASEAN-China Relations International Trade Thailand

7 Aug 2025

How China Might Retaliate Against Southeast Asia’s US Trade Deals

Olivia Tan Jia Yi

Southeast Asia has more clarity on US tariffs and trade conditions, but China’s reaction looms on the horizon. The region's position is particularly precarious because China wields substantial leverage across lending, investment, and trade.

ASEAN-China Relations International Trade

25 Jul 2025

China’s Global Security Initiative: Not About Picking Sides

Qian Yuming

China has sought to promote its Global Security Initiative in Southeast Asia by implementing tangible projects in regional countries.

ASEAN-China Relations China Security

9 Jul 2025

Eating Chinese Soft Power

Isabelle Chua

Isabelle Chua analyses the rapid expansion of Chinese food brands, highlighting how this trend has become an informal yet influential form of Chinese soft power in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations ASEANFocus China F&B

27 Jun 2025

The Elusive Code: Why ASEAN Needs a New Playbook for the South China Sea

Joanne Lin|Pou Sothirak

The Code of Conduct (COC) negotiations between ASEAN and China have reached an impasse, hindered by legal ambiguities, strategic divergences, and ASEAN’s internal divisions. ASEAN must move away from a binary approach that equates success with legal binds, and instead explore more pragmatic alternatives.

ASEAN Summit ASEAN-China Relations Code of Conduct South China Sea State of Southeast Asia Survey

11 Jun 2025

Rightsizing the Risks of China’s Export Redirection to Southeast Asia

Maria Monica Wihardja|Aufa Doarest

Faced with a potential tsunami of Chinese imports, ASEAN countries might feel tempted to effect gut-reaction measures such as trade barriers. For better policy making, some data-based perspectives will be useful.

ASEAN-China Relations China Trade