Chinese Investments in Southeast Asia: Patterns and Significance

Southeast Asia’s growing economic linkages with China have generated political opportunities and strategic concerns in equal measure. This study provides a fuller picture of Chinese investments in Southeast Asia for those seeking to understand its significance and impacts. From their carefully constructed dataset, Goh and Liu provide a regionwide, multi-sectoral analysis quantitative survey and analysis of key changes in Chinese investments in Southeast Asian economies over fifteen years, from 2005 to 2019. Additionally, they provide a qualitative assessment of the geopolitical significance of these trends and patterns. Thus, this study creates a baseline understanding of more recent Chinese investments in the region. In the near future, when a feasible data series can be collated for the years from 2020, it will also allow a sharper analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese investments in the region.

Evelyn Goh is the Shedden Professor of Strategic Policy Studies at the Australian National University, where she is also the Director of the Southeast Asia Institute.

Liu Nan received her Master of Business Information Systems from the Australian National University’s College of Business and Economics, and her Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of Hong Kong.