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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

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

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28
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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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
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
The deal completes a bilateral digital-currency loop following an inbound trial in January. Photo: VCG
Banking & finance

Swift bypass: China completes first Malaysia payment in digital yuan

Deal advances Beijing’s push to expand the digital yuan through alternative cross-border clearing channels beyond Swift system.

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India

Ready player 3: India offers Asean a US-China alternative

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South China Sea

‘Negotiation fatigue’ risks stalling South China Sea code of conduct progress

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The Philippines

Philippine defence chief warns Chinese teaching exchanges pose grey-zone threat

The comments follow reports that language instructors in Manila were trained by a Chinese university at the heart of Batanes controversy.

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Jinan University in Guangzhou, China has drawn ire from Manila for holding a symposium where scholars said Beijing should assert sovereignty over the Batanes Islands. Photo: Shutterstock
China trade

Indonesia wants to move beyond raw materials. Will its China ties suffer?

Beijing and Jakarta enjoy unprecedented economic interdependence – but shifting priorities in Indonesia threaten to strain the partnership.

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Malaysia

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia must embrace reforms for ‘China plus one’ to succeed

The region needs to build strong institutions, pursue industrial policies that allow local firms to compete and upgrade its supply chains.

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Iran

China and Asean eye closer energy cooperation after latest Middle East fighting

Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on oil imports and has been severely affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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A China-Asean joint statement has stressed the importance of freedom of navigation. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | How China and Indonesia can build a truly sturdy partnership

From handling business friction to aligning long-term goals, three practical steps can elevate ties beyond economic convenience.

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2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urges Thailand and Cambodia to settle border dispute

President Xi Jinping has offered to play a ‘constructive role’ in reaching a solution, saying it would be in both sides’ long-term interests.

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Asean

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

A worker inspects fruit at a Chinese-financed mango processing factory in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province last year. Photo: Xinhua
South China Sea

Opinion | Path to South China Sea stability doesn’t run through US, UK or the EU

The statement by 14 countries is a geopolitical exercise, amplifying the flawed 2016 Hague arbitral ruling to try to drive a wedge between China and its neighbours.

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The China Coast Guard vessel Dong’an patrolling in the South China Sea on June 22. Photo: Xinhua
South China Sea

How Beijing’s islands of control are reshaping the South China Sea

Ten years after the Hague’s tribunal ruling, Beijing’s island-building strategy has effectively eclipsed the 2016 decision, observers say.

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China trade

China’s power exports to Asean surge 40% in first half of 2026

Myanmar is leading the export surge for China’s power in Asean, with exports to the country nearly doubling in the first five months.

China airliners

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

A crowd watches as China's domestically produced C919 passenger jet takes off at an air show in Nanchang, central Jiangxi province, on November 2, 2024. Photo: AFP
Trade

Asian Angle | Why a second ‘China shock’ is good for Southeast Asia

Fear of Chinese imports is misplaced. Roughly 90 per cent of what the region buys is inputs and machinery driving local manufacturing.

Shipping containers are seen at the port in Nanjing, China’s eastern Jiangsu province, last month. Photo: AFP
South China Sea

Open Questions | South China Sea expert Wu Shicun on Beijing’s red lines

A decade after The Hague ruling against China on the South China Sea, Beijing is open to dialogue on disputes but will not fall for ‘petty games’, Wu Shicun says.

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Middle East

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

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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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The EU is seen as one of the middle powers looking to diversify its relationships. Photo: AFP
Singapore

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

External forces are undermining China’s efforts to support the global order, senior Communist Party official Sun Haiyan says.

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Hong Kong economy

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

By linking the two regions, the city creates an enormous opportunity for cross investment and expansion to other regions.

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.

Dignitaries, including city leader John Lee (front centre), gather for a group photo at the launch of the new chamber. Photo: May Tse
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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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 and Asean sign a free-trade upgrade protocol in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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.

Beigang Yunhe 002, the first 5,000-tonne intelligent demonstration vessel for the Pinglu Canal, successfully completed a sea trial on Wednesday. Photo: South China Morning Post
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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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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