ARTICLES

Visitors walking past the Silk Road E-commerce Pavilion

China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) in Southeast Asia: Progress and Challenges

Wang Zheng

China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative has made significant strides in Southeast Asia. All countries in the region have received DSR investments, with Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia taking the lion’s share. However, China faces multiple challenges in pushing the DSR forward, including the growing tensions between the state and private tech companies domestically as well as intensifying US-China technological rivalry and risks of tech bifurcation.