ARTICLES

22 Mar 2022

China and Chinese Overseas: A Softer Soft Policy Needed?

Tan Chee-Beng

This Long Read describes China’s soft power in relation to Chinese overseas who as a whole constitute a potentially important resource for it.

21 Feb 2022

Polite Wolves: China’s Soft Twitter Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

Darren Cheong

China's diplomats have gained fame on Western social media platforms for their strident 'wolf warrior' discourse. But the strategy is not applied uniformly across all countries. In fact, they have taken a more polite tone towards Southeast Asian countries.

ASEAN-China Relations China

18 Feb 2022

The State of Southeast Asia Survey

China Should Build Trust Where it Matters

Joanne Lin

The majority of Southeast Asians continue to regard China as the most influential political, strategic and economic power in the region. But wariness of this state of affairs has not gone away.

ASEAN-China Relations China Diplomacy State of Southeast Asia Survey

16 Feb 2022

The State of Southeast Asia Survey

2022 State of Southeast Asia Survey: Diverse Perspectives and Hard Realities

Terence Chong

The US has gained ground against China in the contest for regional influence in Southeast Asia, according to the latest State of Southeast Asia Survey. ASEAN continues to be seen as ineffective in the eyes of respondents; at the same time, they are willing to give it credit when it is due.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations ASEAN-U.S. Relations Climate Change COVID-19 State of Southeast Asia Survey

3 Dec 2021

The ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership What’s in a Name

Hoang Thi Ha

ASEAN’s decision to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with both China and Australia demonstrates its desire to maintain equilibrium in its relations with all major powers and foster an inclusive multi-polar regional order.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations

24 Nov 2021

What is China Bringing to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN

Joanne Lin

Last Monday, ASEAN member states met formally with China’s top leader Xi Jinping for the first time to commemorate 30 years of dialogue partnership.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations South China Sea

3 Aug 2021

Team Biden: A Southeast Asia Reset

Victor Ha

Compared to China, the Biden Administration has been slow off the blocks in the game of winning friends and influencing people in Southeast Asia. It has its work cut out for it.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations China-U.S. Relations Indo-Pacfic U.S.

Cargo containers stacked at Yantian port

21 Jul 2021

Unpacking China’s Merchandise Trade with ASEAN during the Global Pandemic

Xiaojun Li

While the global merchandise trade shrank by 5.3% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral trade between China and ASEAN increased in the meantime by 6.7%, thanks not only to a steady increase in bilateral trade but also to the relative decline of trade between China with its other major trading partners.

Asean Trade ASEAN-China Relations China

7 Jul 2021

Lancang-Mekong Cooperation: Overcoming the Trust Deficit on the Mekong

Richard Grünwald

The Lancang Mekong Cooperation has suffered a deficit of trust following the publication of a study in April 2020 raising concerns over the impact of Chinese mainstream dams on the Mekong’s water flow. To overcome the trust deficit on the Mekong, it is important to depoliticise hydrological science by ensuring compliance with standard research procedures and collaboration among relevant institutions.

ASEAN-China Relations China Japan Mekong River South Korea Thailand

11 Jun 2021

A New Height of ASEAN-China Relations? Not Quite, Not Yet

Hoang Thi Ha

China and ASEAN had a fairly successful meeting in Chongqing recently. But the conclusion that Beijing has orchestrated a win over Washington in Southeast Asia is premature.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations South China Sea