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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
Illustration: Davies Christian
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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Boao Forum for Asia

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

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Science

China flexes surveillance muscle with South China Sea garbage count

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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.

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.

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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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The conflict has taken a heavy toll on global energy prices. Photo: Reuters
China’s C919 passenger plane

China fine-tunes C909 jet operations in Laos – a blueprint for Southeast Asia?

Lessons from Laos could help Comac boost overseas sales of C909 and C919 – but analyst says buyers will be closely watching for safety.

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Vietnam

China, Vietnam agree to live-fire drills in naval exercise boost

Agreement between naval commanders ahead of 40th joint exercise comes as Vietnamese leader To Lam hails ties with China as ‘top priority’.

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Asean

Can Asean break free from US-China supply chain grip?

The bloc will look for new markets and deepen regional cooperation to reduce trade uncertainty, economic ministers say.

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Regional ministers pose for a group photo during the Asean Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Manila on Friday. Photo: EPA
Asean

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

With global data at risk from hybrid threats, Southeast Asia and Europe need to look past declarations to secure our shared data arteries.

Workers install a submarine communications cable in western France. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Will Paracels dispute overshadow China-Vietnam drive for closer strategic ties?

Foreign, defence and public security ministers are to meet after images suggested China had started land reclamation work at Antelope Reef.

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Crime in China

China extols Myanmar gang executions, pledging to protect citizens abroad

Chief of China’s top court highlights crackdown on Southeast Asia crime rings in annual ‘two sessions’ report.

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Two Sessions 2025

Beijing signals high hopes for South China Sea ‘golden rules’ by end of year

Wang Yi voices ‘determination’ to work with rival claimants yet urges Manila to ‘be aware of its responsibility’.

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Chinese coastguard personnel patrol the waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing claims as Huangyan Island, in November 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China-Singapore relations

Singapore and China have ‘common interests’ in safeguarding global order: envoy

In Beijing, Peter Tan Hai Chuan says two countries built ties based on sovereign equality and respect, not just cultural or ethnic links.

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Peter Tan Hai Chuan, Singapore’s ambassador to China, says: “An open, connected, and cooperative region serves our common interests.” Photo: Handout
Asean

Opinion | Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

At a time when no one has bandwidth left, soft power is being won by being the partner that feels usable, steady and low-risk.

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Asean

Letters | Asean is not choosing sides, but strategically maximising space

Readers discuss how Southeast Asian governments have gained bargaining power, the benefits of cheap public transport, and a harbourfront project.

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South China Sea

Can China and Philippines ‘swap disputes with cooperation’ in disputed waters?

Senator says the two sides might start joint patrols in the South China Sea by the end of next month.

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There have been repeated confrontations involving the two sides in recent years. Photo: AFP
China travel

Chinese tourism to Japan plunges 50% over Lunar New Year as Thailand cashes in

Thailand was the top destination for China’s outbound travellers over the extended holiday, with tourists avoiding Japan amid rising tensions.

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China trade

US-Indonesia deal threatens China’s ‘entrenched position’ in nickel market: analysts

A new deal gives America unrestricted access to Indonesia’s nickel – and challenges China’s ‘preferential’ position in the market, analysts say.

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China trade

As high-speed railways saturate China, how far can their global reach extend?

As Chinese giants eye Eurasia for new infrastructure, analysts speculate on what it will take to keep overseas projects from going off the rails in different host nations.

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A high-speed train leaves Tegalluar Station, located along the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

Opinion | Building Asean ties puts Hong Kong on path to long-term growth

Expanding relations with Southeast Asia can open new markets for the city’s firms, deepen the talent pool and promote greater understanding.

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Chief Executive John Lee delivers the keynote address at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, on September 9, 2025. Photo: May Tse
Mainland China

Chinese missions in Vietnam, Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling

Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling.

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South China Sea

Why big power rivalry poses ‘main threat’ to Asean maritime security

Smaller players ‘become pawns’ in a bigger geopolitical game as ‘strategic mistrust among major powers’ grows, Asean leaders say in Munich.

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South China Sea

Opinion | Can Manila’s South China Sea strategy of defiance and diplomacy hold?

China and the Philippines are both signalling openness to diplomacy alongside continued military flexing, but this may not be sustainable.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China Conference: Southeast Asia

Ambassador urges ‘shared prosperity’ in China-Asean ties as protectionism grows

Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US.

Wang Qing, China’s ambassador to Asean, at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP
China Conference: Southeast Asia

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

The US and China are the top two trading partners for Asean but it is questionable how long that status quo will last, observers say.

Belt and Road Initiative

‘Time is ripe’: why China is eyeing another vast canal link to Southeast Asia

China has almost completed the US$10 billion Pinglu Canal connecting its heartlands to Southeast Asia. Now, it is mulling an even larger waterway.

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