China-Asean relations

Beijing has dialled up the pressure on its Southeast Asian neighbors ahead of key talks in the South China Sea dispute, with a senior diplomat warning them against backing US efforts in the region. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have competing territoiral claims with China and one another in the resource-rich waterway. These countries are increasingly torn between China and the United States amid a growing risk of an all-out confrontation in the region. Tensions in the waters have escalated during a flurry of recent military activity by the feuding superpowers. The US has no claims in the region but has ramped up its patr

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Inkstone Explains unravels the ideas and context behind the headlines to help you understand news about China. Around the turn of the 21st century, the global community saw China as the next great economic opportunity.  The country’s workforce was young, and labor cheap and abundant. This attracted foreign investment and helped build China into the world’s manufacturing powerhouse, in the process lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But as growth in China has slowed and labor cost has risen, those seeking the next great growth story are increasingly looking south – toward Southeast Asia.  The culturally diverse region is connected by an alliance