Sections

Commentary

Podcast

Southeast Asia: Caught in the middle of US-China competition

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh walk to a meeting room at the Government Guesthouse in Hanoi, Vietnam April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kham - RC142FA2A510

Are Southeast Asian nations being forced to choose between China and the United States on issues like infrastructure, trade, and security? That’s one of the key questions explored in this episode as host David Dollar interviews Jonathan Stromseth, the Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asian Studies and a senior fellow at Brookings. Dollar and Stromseth tackle a variety of related issues, including the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy of the Trump administration; the effect that China’s economic engagement in the region—in particularly its Belt and Road Initiative—has on governance and democracy; and specific cases like Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Related content:

Democracy at a crossroads in Southeast Asia: Great power rivalry meets domestic governance

The Hanoi summit shines a light on the “Vietnam model” of development

Southeast Asia Insights

The Provincial Competitiveness Index

Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.