Partnerships, not pressure: what China offers where the West hesitates
Three countries, one tour, and a clear message from Beijing- President Xi Jinping touched down in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia this week, marking one of his most strategic Southeast Asian tours in years. What's behind the charm offensive? While the U.S. is fueling global confusion and frustration with its tariff war, China and its Southeast Asian partners are trying to inject cooperation and stability into global growth. What does the whirlwind visit mean for China, Southeast Asia, and the world?
Host Tu Yun joins Dr. Zha Daojiong, Professor of International Political Economy, School of International Studies, Peking University, Dr. Digby James Wren, External Relations Advisor, Royal Academy of Cambodia and Chair, Belt and Road Capital Partners, and Dr. Dylan Loh, Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, Nanyang Technological University to decode the tour at the Chat Lounge.
Key Quotes
“I look at this as a consolidation of ASEAN and to do that, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam are key countries to signal to the other members.”
“It's more than just the infrastructure connection. You will have the connectivity in trade and investment.”
“This meeting then comes in this context that has injected a new dynamic.”
“The idea of the shared future and everywhere in Cambodia people know about this,
they do talk about this.”
“For Malaysia, what stood out to me was the agreement on using pay to satellites.”
“Vietnam, I would think the most significant part is the reaffirmation of cross-border economic trade and investment linkages.”
Guest Speakers
Dr. Wren holds research degrees in both International Relations and Public Diplomacy and is a leading Sinologist and ASEAN geopolitical expert. He holds the Chair of Belt and Road Capital Partners, a geopolitical risk, investment and trade, and public diplomacy advisory firm.
Dr. Wren is also the Publisher of Long Mekong Media, a leading resource for political and economic information across Asia and the Founder of the Young ASEAN Minds Education program.
Prof. Zha Daojiong is a professor of international political economy in the School of International Studies, Peking University, where he also directs a Center on Transnational Issues and holds a professorship in the University’s Ocean Research Institute. He specialises in studying non-traditional security issues in China’s foreign relations, with a particular focus on energy, food, and trans-boundary water issues.His recent research interest has expanded to political risk management for Chinese investments overseas, which took him on field trips to Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia. He serves on advisory boards of the China Chapter of Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, Chinese Association for International Understanding, China-USA Friendship Association, and China-Myanmar Friendship Association.
He has authored and edited six academic books, including Chinese Investment Overseas: case studies on environmental and social risks (Peking University Press, 2014), in addition to dozens of journal articles. He also served on guest research and teaching positions in Australia, Japan, the United States, Singapore and the Hong Kong Special Administrative region. He holds a Doctoral degree in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the East West Center.
Dylan M.H Loh received his PhD in politics and international studies at Cambridge University. He was a Graduate Research Fellow at the Center of Rising Powers at Cambridge University from 2016 to 2018 and a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Political Science, from September 2018 - February 2019. His work has been published in journals such as Pacific Review, Journal of Chinese Political Science, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Cooperation and Conflict, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, International Relations of Asia-Pacific and International Studies Review. His research interests include Chinese foreign policy, ASEAN regionalism, diplomacy and practice theory.
Additionally, his commentaries and interviews have appeared in local and global media outlets such as Bloomberg, Channel 8, AFP, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, 93.8 Live, Today, 联合早报, Berita Harian, The Nation and Global Times among others.
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