U.S.–China–Southeast Asia Relations, a Special Report

Competition between the United States and China has been a defining feature of international relations since the beginning of the 21st century, and Southeast Asia is becoming the most important arena for this strategic competition.

The region’s sea-lanes are crucial to both U.S. and Chinese interests. The countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are collectively the United States’ fourth-largest trading partner and a major destination for American foreign investment, while ASEAN is now China’s largest trading partner and figures prominently in China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

But what, amidst these sharp elbows, does Southeast Asia want? And what is the path to peaceful regional cooperation?

On the eve of U.S. presidential elections, a new report from The Asia Foundation takes a sharp-eyed look at these questions. The report, U.S.–China–Southeast Asia Relations: Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation, is the fruit of two days of intensive discussion in Bangkok last spring, and offer insights and recommendations for policymakers in Washington, Beijing, and Southeast Asian capitals.

We are joined for this week’s podcast by the authors of the report. Kuik Cheng-Chwee is professor of International Relations at the National University of Malaysia’s Institute of Malaysian and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur. Da Wei is director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing. David M. Lampton is Hyman Professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. And John Brandon is The Asia Foundation’s senior director of International Relations Programs, who organized the report.

U.S.–China–Southeast Asia Relations: Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation, was made possible by generous support from The Carnegie Corporation of New York. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors, not those of The Carnegie Corporation or The Asia Foundation.