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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

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

videocam
7
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

videocam
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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
The EU is seen as one of the middle powers looking to diversify its relationships. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Is it wiser for middle powers ‘not to take sides’ in face of US-China rivalry?

Speakers at event in Beijing say that ‘hedging’ between Washington and Beijing will give other countries greater autonomy.

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Singapore

Beijing’s message for Asean – China doesn’t want to become a regional hegemon

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Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Hong Kong is key to spurring Asean-Greater Bay Area cooperation

Greater Bay Area

Asean hopes to tap Greater Bay Area’s tech skills with closer ties: industry chiefs

Panellists at South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit list AI and green technology as key areas for cooperation.

The Greater Bay Area refers to Beijing’s initiative to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an integrated economic powerhouse. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong economy

New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

New business group launched at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

United States

Is Prabowo’s Trump moment a sign that China is losing its favourite partner?

The Indonesian leader’s unusual approach to the ‘America first’ president is testing Jakarta’s non-alignment policy, observers said.

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China trade

Why the Vietnam ‘detour’ for US-bound Chinese goods hit a dead end

Is finding another Hanoi haven possible, or would trying be a fool’s errand for Chinese firms looking to get the jump on Trump and evade tariffs?

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Asean

Opinion | Beyond geopolitics: for Asean, China is a structural reality

Faced with the structural reality of China, Southeast Asia is trying to turn it into an advantage without losing control of its choices.

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China shipbuilding

China tests future of shipping on its next trade corridor: a US$10 billion canal

The megaproject is set to boost trade links with Southeast Asia and connect inland provinces to global shipping routes.

Asean

Asian Angle | China builds Southeast Asia expertise as the US lets it wither

Yet neither power will truly grasp this complex, diverse region if they continue to treat it merely as a geopolitical chessboard.

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People gather in front of the “Sunflower Angel”, an illuminated nine-metre-tall fibreglass art installation, at Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AFP
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Dear You – the Chinese migration film igniting a propaganda debate in Southeast Asia

Some are worried that the Teochew-language drama represents a new, softer era of propaganda targeting the diaspora.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Asean

Asean at 60: peace, prosperity and polite paralysis

Non-interference bought decades of stability, but now breeds inaction. Is Asean due an overhaul?

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South China Sea

Opinion | Philippines’ belligerence towards China out of step with Asean trend

Manila’s security-first approach and alignment with extra-regional powers is at odds with the pragmatic direction of China-Asean relations.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Why Hongkongers should be very interested in the Pinglu Canal

China-Asean trade is expected to surge as the Pinglu Canal synergises with the Hainan free-trade zone – creating demand for services Hong Kong can provide.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China trade

How China’s blueberry boom is reaching Southeast Asia on faster trade links

The fruit is heading to Asean markets on the China-Laos Railway, supported by the world’s largest free trade agreement.

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Farmers pick blueberries at an orchard in southwest China’s Yunnan province. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
US-Asean relations

Tariffs, war and broken trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump problem

Disillusioned by US unpredictability, the region is learning to diversify – while Trump treats allies as bargaining chips.

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Asean

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

Manila’s success at the helm will depend on its ability to make the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more operational than before.

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China exports

Southeast Asia is building a huge regional power grid. How is China involved?

Chinese firms are integral to Southeast Asia’s green transition plan, which will see nations across the region integrate their grids, official says.

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Workers inspect a vast solar power project in western China. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

How US military aircraft repair hub could threaten Indonesian neutrality

If Indonesia turns Kertajati Airport into a Hercules repair hub, it risks being seen as siding with the US in times of war, analysts say.

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Mainland China

Top China, Singapore diplomats reaffirm commitment to Malacca Strait transit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells counterpart that keeping the critical shipping lane open is ‘a shared aspiration of all countries’.

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US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

The real test of Beijing and Washington’s adoption of ‘constructive strategic stability’ will be how words translate into action.

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hand with China’s Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

AIIB launches US$10 billion facility to help nations hit by Iran war fallout

The new facility will help nations deal with urgent energy, food and economic resilience needs, according to the bank.

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The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was launched by China in 2016 and is headquartered in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

China’s new US$10.7 billion canal near completion to boost Asean trade links

The Pinglu Canal – a US$10 billion waterway connecting China’s heartlands to the Gulf of Tonkin – will begin trial operations as soon as September.

Energy

Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power

With its experience in exporting nuclear reactors, China can offer long-term energy security and technological upgrades.

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.

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
Yuan

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

New initiative lets consumers use home-grown apps like Alipay for cross-border payments – supporting Beijing’s push to expand regional financial links.

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Alipay QR code in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the launch of the China-Indonesia cross-border payment system. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

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

A new cold-storage rail service is whisking mountains of durians from Thailand to China, reducing prices for the prized fruit.

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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