Category: China-ASEAN

China Pushes ASEAN to Sign FTA Upgrade as U.S. Tariffs Bite

China is pushing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, to sign its China ASEAN FTA upgrade before the end of the year, Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong said on Monday, as Beijing seeks to diversify its exports amid U.S. tariffs.

Indonesia Elevates Security Concerns in ASEAN–China Talks

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono’s recent remarks at the ASEAN–China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur mark a welcome and necessary development in regional diplomacy. Amid long-standing discussions dominated by trade and economic cooperation, his decision to highlight transnational crime and maritime security brings long-overdue attention to issues ...

Southeast Asia’s Trade at Risk: How Trump’s Tariffs and Chinese Imports Threaten Regional Economies

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to introduce sweeping tariffs poses significant economic challenges for economies in Southeast Asia. The region could become a battleground for redirected Chinese exports, flooding local markets and disrupting industries. At the same time, trade imbalances, protectionist measures, and deficits add to the ...

Indonesia 2024 Presidential Election: Forecasting Future Proximity With China

Indonesia will hold a presidential election next year that will potentially see three candidates battling for office: Anies Baswedan, Ganjar Pranowo, and Prabowo Subianto. Since declaring their presidential bids, the three candidates have talked about various issues, ranging from improving education, boosting employment, healthcare, ...

China Looms Large At This Week’s ASEAN Summit

Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are gathering in the remote Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo for the 42nd ASEAN summit taking place this week.  The summit comes as ASEAN is trying to recover from the economic disruption ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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Philippines Summons Chinese Ambassador Over Laser Incident at Sea

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos summoned China's ambassador to express his "serious concern" over Monday's alleged use of a military grade laser by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel against nearby Philippines ships in the South China Sea. In Washington, U.S. State Department ...

Chinese PM Li Heads Home From Cambodia After Another Round of Diplomatic Speed Dating

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang wrapped up a six-day visit to Cambodia on Sunday at the conclusion of a pair of regional summits where he also held a number of sideline bilaterals with both Asian and Pacific leaders: ...

China’s Global Trade Started Strong in 2022 But the Outlook Looks Grim

Powered by a new Asian regional free trade deal and new rail links with its Southeast Asian neighbors, China clocked an impressive 10.7% increase in first-quarter global trade compared to the same time last year, according to new Chinese customs data. Southeast ...

It Was ASEAN’s Turn For China’s Fast-paced “Speed Dating” Diplomacy

Right after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi returned from his annual trip to Africa in early January he decamped from Beijing to set up shop temporarily in the small eastern city of Tunxi, 400km outside of Shanghai.  By ...

BRI Scholar Reflects on U.S.-China Competition For Influence in ASEAN and the Critical Role of Railways

The new $6 billion, 1,000-kilometer China-Laos railway that opened a couple of weeks ago is widely seen as the most visible evidence of Beijing's push to expand its presence in Southeast Asia. The railway's debut came just before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region ...

The Key Takeaway From Wang Yi’s Week-Long Asia Tour: It’s Not Easy Balancing Ties Between China and the U.S.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a week-long four-nation Asian tour on Wednesday in Seoul where he met with his Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong. Wang also visited Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore on a trip that was expressly intended to bolster China's ties in a region that both ...