Because strategic, economic, and ideological perceptions of China contain multiple, sometimes contradictory facets in Southeast Asia, receptions of and responses to Beijing diverge across and within state lines.
Neither Duterte’s pivot to China policy nor Marcos’s transparency initiative is changing China’s behavior.
Faced with an increase in strategic maneuvering by Moscow and Pyongyang, Beijing will not sit idly by and allow Putin and Kim to shape the security environment on its behalf.
Malaysia’s actions indicate that it continues to pursue an inclusive and prudent “equidistance” policy.
China’s growing attention to Central Asia is perceived as a harbinger of tectonic shifts in regional geopolitics.
Beijing could seek to limit the spillover from a Taiwan conflict into the South China Sea and offer to assist in evacuation operations for Southeast Asian citizens.
Over the past three years, Southeast Asia has witnessed a series of important leadership transitions. How will these new leaders approach China and how will they differ from their predecessors?
