China’s Influence in Southeast Asia

China’s Influence in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia holds a special place in China’s foreign policy owing to the geographical ties, economic history, and the migration of millions of Chinese citizens to the region. During the postwar period, the relationship between China and Southeast Asia counterparts began on a rocky start owing to China’s support of the guerilla movements in these countries. After 1970, China moderated its position, which included pursuing neighborhood diplomacy. In 2012, China began a proactive relationship with its Southeast counterparts geared toward attaining a common destiny. China seeks to leverage the ‘common destiny’ concept to integrate the region culturally, politically, and economically. The country’s involvement in Southeast Asia is part of its grand plan to emerge as a world superpower and compete with large powers like the USA.

First, China is applying a combination of economic coercion and inducement to advance its strategic objectives in the region. China is using a host of new projects and institutions, notably the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to achieve its neighborhood diplomacy objectives (Stromseth 3). BRI undertakes projects globally, but the most significant projects in Southeast Asia are roads, railways, dams, and oil and gas pipelines. One notable project is the railway project that connects the Southwest part of Kunming city to Thaos, Thailand, Malaysia, and eventually Singapore (Stromseth 3). Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia are the leading countries to have received the most capital geared toward infrastructural development. The three countries received $93 billion, $70 billion, and $34 billion in infrastructural capital investment from China by 2019 (Stromseth, 3). Also, China is leveraging regional bodies to advance its economic and political interests in mainland Southeast Asia. For instance, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) manages BRI projects with the goal of advancing China’s economic and political interests. China is the single-largest financier of projects in mainland Southeast Asia, helping the country gain political support and economic control in Southeast Asia.

Alongside the intensive economic intervention in mainland Southeast Asia, China is also leveraging soft power to engage with and advance the interests of its growing diaspora population. China has maintained a policy of non-interference in the politics of countries with which it does business. However, the current Chinese premier has altered the policy and engaged different strategies to advance Beijing’s interests, specifically in Southeast countries. One of the strategies used by China to achieve this objective is active participation in influencing public policy. For instance, since 2013, the Chinese government has sponsored about 1000-2000 Burmese citizens for study tours, tourist visits, and exchange programs to positively influence their perception of China (Stromseth 4). China is also leveraging its growing overseas population in Southeast Asia to attain global power. There are about 30 million Chinese citizens in Southeast Asia countries, accounting for 70% of Chinese citizens living outside China globally (Stromseth 4). Xi Jinping’s regime leverages its overseas citizens as a bridge to advance China’s interests across the region, unlike past regimes that encouraged the non-interference policy. The growing Chinese population overseas and Beijing’s empowerment will play a key role in driving China’s political interests in Southeast Asia.

Further, the immigration of Chinese into Southeast Asia countries led to significant cultural influences. In the 19th and 20th Centuries, affluent citizens viewed China as a poor and overcrowded country (Rowntree 434). As a result, more affluent Chinese people migrated to more sparsely populated Southeast Asia, which appeared as a place of opportunity. Eventually, Chinese settlement districts were established, especially in urban areas. Currently, the Chinese constitute a third of Malaysia’s population and three-quarters of Singapore’s population (Rowntree 434). Overseas Chinese citizens have retained their Chinese identity and culture, including Confucianism, and will play a significant role in advancing China’s role in solidifying China’s influence in Southeast Asia.

China’s growing global influence has eaten into the United States’ influence in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia region, which was largely a bastion of American influence, is now up for contestation. America’s influence on Malaysia and Indonesia was tenfold compared to China’s influence in the 1990s. However, China has since surpassed the US and holds a firm economic and political grip in the region. One of the reasons for the decreasing US influence in the Southeast Asia region is that the Southeast Asia countries sought to diversify their strategic and economic dependencies to China, India, and Japan (Gill et al. 4). Besides, China’s industrial development has reshaped the region’s political economy and re-oriented the region’s economy toward final assembly production. China’s trade with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian) countries grew from $8 billion in 1980 to $480 billion in 2014 (Gill et al. 4). China’s influence on ASEAN countries now exceeds that of the US.

In summary, China’s geopolitical position and economic growth have influenced the economic and political developments in Southeast Asia countries. China’s economic growth brought resources that the emerging superpower leverages to gain influence in the Southeast Asia region. Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework, China has supported infrastructural developments in the region, which induces Southeast countries to China. Besides, China’s significant overseas population in ASEAN countries has acted as a bridge to solidify neighborhood diplomacy. China has since dislodged the US from its control over Southeast Asia countries by leveraging its new capabilities.

Works Cited

Gill, Bates, Evelyn Goh, and Chin-Hao Huang. “The Dynamics of US–China–Southeast Asia Relations.” United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney (2016).

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson, 2017.

Stromseth, Jonathan. The testing ground: China’s rising influence in Southeast Asia and regional responses. Brookings Institution, 2019.

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Identify and discuss, in detail, how China’s growth and geo-political position in the world economy are influencing the economic and political development of Southeast Asia. How might such dynamics change Southeast Asia’s relationship with the United States? Also, include specific examples, evidence, and statistics that support your claims.

China’s Influence in Southeast Asia

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