Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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China’s Belt and Road Initiative helped build an industrial complex in Indonesia—but contestations at the local and national levels compelled Chinese players to adapt to rapidly shifting Indonesian cross-currents.
Despite ambivalence about Chinese intentions in Indonesia’s political and defense establishment, Chinese telecoms firms have successfully used strategies of localization to position themselves as trusted cybersecurity providers to the country.
A high-end real estate development that caters to Chinese entrepreneurs became caught up in divisive Malaysian politics. Chinese investors are learning hard lessons about how to navigate local turf wars and political risks.
The EU’s inward-looking response to the coronavirus pandemic has dented the bloc’s credibility in the eyes of the Global South. To rebuild trust, the EU must renew its efforts in building more equal partnerships.
Chinese economic players in Myanmar initially relied on ties to the government and ruling elites. Faced with controversy, they turned to actors that local communities trust and listen to as de facto partners and informal advisers.
Though Moon’s efforts toward securing inter-Korean peace have received the most publicity, the New Southern Policy to advance ties with India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has arguably sustained more momentum than any of the administration’s other flagship foreign policy initiatives.
Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka showcase the diversity of China’s engagement strategies in a very multidimensional region but also make clear that influencers across South Asia are learning from each other’s experiences with Chinese money and power.
Despite public perceptions, Philippine ruling elites concerned with political expediency, not Chinese actors, are often the key culprits sidestepping social and environmental safeguards on infrastructure projects. Chinese players generally have accommodated these Philippine demands.
India and other countries around the Bay of Bengal should invest greater resources in the multilateral institution BIMSTEC to promote regional connectivity and shared prosperity.
Three years ago, the EU began to intensify its engagement with Asia. Now, the question is whether there is the political will to move this relationship to the next phase.