U.S.-China Dynamics in Southeast Asia

10/31/22 • 50 min

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In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Evan Laksmana about U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian views of U.S. foreign policy in the region. Haenle and Laksmana touch on the role of ASEAN, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as well as China and the United States’ competing visions of regional order.

Evan Laksmana is a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, where he examines U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific. Laksmana is also a senior research fellow with the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is also a nonresident scholar with the Lowy Institute for International Policy. His research focuses on military change, civil-military relations, and Southeast Asian defense and foreign policies.

If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:

https://carnegieendowment.org/the-world-unpacked

https://carnegieendowment.org/events/carnegieconnects

https://carnegieindia.org/interpretingindia

https://carnegieendowment.org/grandtamasha

https://carnegieeurope.eu/europeinsideout

If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:

https://carnegieendowment.org/the-world-unpacked

https://carnegieendowment.org/events/carnegieconnects

https://carnegieindia.org/interpretingindia

https://carnegieendowment.org/grandtamasha

https://carnegieeurope.eu/europeinsideout

Previous Episode

Rising Tension in the Taiwan Strait

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Qi Dongtao about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, China’s new Taiwan White Paper, the state and trajectory of cross-Strait relations, and the implications of shifts in U.S. policy, including those related to the potential passage of the Taiwan Policy Act introduced by the U.S. Senate. Haenle and Qi also discuss Dongtao’s new article published in the Journal of Contemporary China, “Urban Chinese Support for Armed Unification with Taiwan,” that examines which groups on the mainland show stronger support for armed unification with Taiwan and what factors contribute to their support.

Dr. Qi Dongtao is Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. Qi Dongtao received his Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University in 2009. His research interests include Taiwanese nationalism and politics, cross-Strait relations, U.S.-China-Taiwan triangular relations and Chinese nationalism. Dr. Qi is drafting a book manuscript tentatively titled, Taiwan and the Cross-Strait Relations amid Great Power Competition, which explores new developments and challenges in cross-Strait relations since 2016.

Next Episode

U.S.-China Relations After the Midterms

Amid the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration has maintained focus on China and enjoyed robust bipartisan support for pursuing a tough approach to Beijing. Recent U.S. export controls on semiconductors and related chip manufacturing equipment have raised the stakes of U.S.-China competition, and many in China now feel as though the United States is seeking to slow China's rise. Beijing, for its part, is not backing down from U.S. pressure. Unprecedented military drills around Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei roiled bilateral ties. How might the U.S. midterm elections impact Biden’s China policy? Will Beijing amend its approach toward Washington after the 20th Party Congress?

One day after the U.S. midterm elections, Paul spoke with Chong Ja Ian, a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, Yun Sun, a senior fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, and Da Wei, the director of the Center for International Strategy and Security at Tsinghua University and a professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. This panel is the first of the Carnegie Global Dialogue Series 2022-2023 and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/11/09/carnegie-china-global-dialogue-u.s.-china-relations-after-midterms-event-7975

If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:

https://carnegieendowment.org/the-world-unpacked

https://carnegieendowment.org/events/carnegieconnects

https://carnegieindia.org/interpretingindia

https://carnegieendowment.org/grandtamasha

https://carnegieeurope.eu/europeinsideout