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Opinion
As China builds military ties across Southeast Asia, one factor stands in the way
- China’s strong economic ties with the region and an unfocused Asean favour the expansion of the Chinese defence network
- But its disregard of the 2016 South China Sea ruling will make it hard for its smaller neighbours to completely trust it
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Riaz Khokhar is a political science graduate from the University of Gothenburg and a former research officer at the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and an Asia studies visiting fellow at the East-West Centre in Washington.
Last month, China and Singapore held maritime exercises aimed at enhancing their mine-sweeping abilities and maintaining security in the Malacca Strait. These drills were also intended to strengthen trust and cooperation between the two countries.
China has also conducted military drills with Cambodia, featuring activities such as mine clearance, explosive removal and blockades, as well as naval manoeuvres. These drills were designed to improve the capabilities of both countries and display China’s power in the South China Sea.
Beijing’s stronger economic and diplomatic influence in Southeast Asia has allowed it to develop defence networks to counterbalance the United States’ military reach and check neighbouring countries’ embrace of the American security campaign against China.
According to the Lowy Institute’s 2023 Asia power index, China’s defence relationship with Cambodia is the strongest (at 69 points) in Southeast Asia, while those with the Philippines (12 points), Thailand (21 points) and Singapore (23 points) are the weakest due to their US alliances. China and the US are in tight competition for military influence in other countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.
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