ARTICLES

27 Aug 2025

China’s Overtures to Southeast Asia: Xi Takes the Lead

Sense Hofstede

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken a personal interest in driving high-level visits to Southeast Asia. This reflects the region’s growing importance and Beijing’s bid to manage global uncertainty.

12 Jun 2025

Mainland Chinese Food and Beverage Companies’ Entry Into Regional Markets: A Different Taste

Leo Suryadinata|Siwage Dharma Negara

Newcomer food and beverage brands from China are surging in some Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia. What is their attraction?

China China-Southeast Asia relations F&B Southeast Asia

11 Mar 2025

COMAC’s C919 in Southeast Asia: Needs More than Price to Take Flight

Tang Meng Kit

China’s COMAC is touting its C919 aircraft as a cost-effective alternative to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. Success, however, depends on overcoming significant challenges such as certification and establishing reliable maintenance networks.

China China-Southeast Asia relations Southeast Asia

7 Feb 2025

Chinese EVs in Southeast Asia: More Sustainable Approach Needed

Shi Youwei

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) firms have made inroads into the Southeast Asian market. But they cannot take their current position for granted.

China China-Southeast Asia relations EV Cars Southeast Asia

20 Dec 2024

China’s Pop Fiction Boom Poses a Dilemma for the Party

Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt

The export of Chinese pop fiction has found ready markets in Southeast Asia such as Thailand. But some undesirable genres pose a dilemma for China’s soft power.

Arts and Culture China China-Southeast Asia relations

24 Jul 2024

Southeast Asia and the Global South: Rhetoric and Reality

Hoang Thi Ha|Cha Hae Won

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.

China China-Southeast Asia relations International Relations Southeast Asia

21 Feb 2024

China’s “Two Mountains” Framework: Varied Responses from Southeast Asia

Kuah Khun Eng

China has long been propagating its Two Mountains theory to address climate change. But many Southeast Asian countries have tailored the concept according to their own needs.

China China-Southeast Asia relations Climate Change

Chinese soldiers attend the Cambodia-China "Golden Dragon 2023" joint military exercise at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Center in Cambodia, March 23, 2023.

27 Dec 2023

2023 Top 10

China’s Military Exercises in Southeast Asia Belie Lack of Trust

Ian Storey

The PLA has increased the number of military exercises conducted with its smaller regional neighbours this year. But the scope, frequency and sophistication of the exercises still lag behind those conducted by the United States.

2023 Top 10 China China-Southeast Asia relations Defence

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the annual U.S.-ASEAN Summit via video link from the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. According to the White House, Biden talked about efforts "to end the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate crisis, promote economic growth, and address a range of other regional challenges and opportunities.

3 Oct 2023

Hard Truths in the Strategic Conversation between the United States and Southeast Asia

Lee Sue-Ann

Amid intensifying Sino-US competition, the strategic conversation between the United States and Southeast Asia is in danger of being stuck in a rut. While messages from the region's leaders to their American counterparts have been received, the latter see these refrains as hackneyed. It is high time for Southeast Asia to internalise the shifts in Uncle Sam's approach to the region and proceed accordingly.

China-Southeast Asia relations Southeast Asia U.S. U.S.-ASEAN Relations

8 Sep 2023