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China-Asean relations

China-Asean relations
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China-Asean relations. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
An aerial drone photo taken on April 13 shows a train of the China-Laos Railway, departing from Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan province, arriving in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

Yuan

How China is quietly reshaping Southeast Asia’s payments beyond the US dollar

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China trade

Durian Express? China brings in cheaper fruit with new Southeast Asia train

Asean

China backs Myanmar’s push to ease diplomatic isolation, stamp out telecoms scams

Foreign Minister Wang Yi caps five-day Southeast Asia tour also urging both sides to ‘open up new prospects for bilateral relations’.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta leader-turned-president, in Naypyidaw on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s private sector

Muddy yet clear-cut: how Chinese investors are turning jungle into a new capital

Chinese construction firms keen to cement trade ties with Jakarta through multimillion dollar projects to build a brand new centre of power.

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US-China relations

Why the future is fluid for middle powers in a sea of US-China rivalry

International relations expert Kuik Cheng-Chwee says smaller states are choosing a ‘neutrality-plus’ strategy over picking sides.

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The Philippines

‘We owe it to the world’: Philippines pushes for South China Sea code this year

Talks between Asean and China to agree on setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management under the code have stalled.

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A Chinese coastguard vessel (right) fires its water cannon at the Philippine BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Philippines-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, at the South China Sea last October. Photo: Philippine coastguard via AP
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

China calls on Cambodia for ‘shared security and risks’ during global turmoil

Defence and foreign ministers meet in Phnom Penh after Hun Manet describes China as a ‘most important and most trustworthy good friend’.

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China-Philippines relations

Exclusive | China and Philippines taking ‘baby steps’ towards better relations: ambassador

Jaime FlorCruz says both sides want stable ties, but closer economic relations must not be used as ‘leverage’ in the South China Sea dispute.

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Asean

Opinion | How new US-Indonesia defence pact sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

The US is investing in the systems, skills and relationships that would matter if access to the Strait of Malacca ever came under pressure.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hosts an honour cordon for Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Pentagon, in Washington, US, on April 13. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China exports

Iran war energy shock threatens Southeast Asia’s supply chains. A win for China?

US and European importers are shifting some orders back to China – but not everyone is optimistic.

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Vietnam

As I see it | Vietnam and China are now perfectly aligned

The emerging partnership enables Vietnam to preserve diplomatic flexibility and advance economic diversification in the face of US pressure.

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South China Sea

Opinion | Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

Much hinges on how China and the Philippines manage the distrust between their frontline maritime forces.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-Japan relations

Can Japan’s US$10b energy shield oust China’s influence in Southeast Asia?

Pledge is a bid to ‘embed Japan at the centre of Southeast Asia’s energy security architecture’, observer notes, but questions its impact.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi leads the Asia Zero-Emission Community Plus online summit on energy resilience, in Tokyo on April 15. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

US warns of China’s ‘invasion rehearsals’ as Trump seeks record military budget

Washington puts spotlight on Beijing’s Taiwan, space operations during hearing on US military’s combat readiness for next year.

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Vietnam

Xi tells Vietnamese counterpart they should ‘jointly oppose unilateralism’

On To Lam’s state visit, Chinese president also urges keeping ‘supply chains stable and unimpeded’ as Iran war deepens global energy crisis.

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Asean

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

An increasingly unpredictable Washington is making the region’s traditional hedging strategy harder to sustain.

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US President Donald Trump (centre) stands for a group photo with Southeast Asian leaders at the 13th Asean-United States Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
China education

Vocational schools a new front as China backs businesses’ global expansion

Earlier programmes focused on infrastructure, but new wave is shaped by demand in e-commerce, digital services and advanced manufacturing.

China's military weapons

Indonesian fisherman nets surprise catch – a Chinese underwater drone

The device was discovered near the Lombok Strait, a strategically vital deepwater passage closely watched by the US and Australia.

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Asean

Most in Asean prefer China over US in survey, Trump cited as biggest concern

Support for China was stronger in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey.

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US President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting at the Gimhae International Airport terminal in South Korea in October. Photo: Daniel Torok/White House/dpa
Scams and swindles

Cambodia’s high-stakes war on online scam compounds

Cambodia has vowed to stamp out the scam compounds on its soil by month’s end – but perpetrators remain drawn to the potential for huge profits.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
Boao Forum for Asia

Asean countries warned against exploiting US-China tensions for short-term gain

Chinese political scientist says Southeast Asian nations ‘should not assume that the US will back them’ and that strategy could backfire.

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Science

China flexes surveillance muscle with South China Sea garbage count

Satellite remote sensing and ship monitoring are among technologies used to cover the 3.5 million sq km of water, some in disputed areas.

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China trade

‘Demand shock’: why China cannot escape the impact of a prolonged Iran war

China’s economy is more resilient than most, but a decline in global demand sparked by the war would hurt Chinese exporters, analyst warns.

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The US-Israel war on Iran could reduce demand for fuel in Southeast Asia, indirectly hurting Chinese oil refineries. Photo: Getty Images
Boao Forum for Asia

As Iran war rages, China links peace to economic growth at Boao Forum

Beijing will continue promoting free trade, openness and a sound legal system for business, top legislator says.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, at the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, south China’s Hainan province, on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
China exports

China starts going global in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia has become the biggest destination for Chinese companies going global, driven by geographical proximity, regional manufacturing skills and free-trade agreements.

The Philippines

China offers to work with Southeast Asia to secure energy supplies

Conflict has also hit global fertiliser supplies, prompting Manila to seek assurances that Beijing would continue exports.

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