China's influence in Southeast Asia surpasses that of the United States, with many countries ranking China as the most influential nation.

Korean Media: China's Influence in Southeast Asia Exceeds the United States!

On October 23, the South Korean media outlet "Gukmin Daily" published an article stating that a recent "Southeast Asia Influence Index" released by the Australian Lowy Institute showed that China scored 65 points (out of a maximum of 100), surpassing the United States (64 points). In the 11 countries surveyed, six countries—Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam—rated China as the "most influential country."

The report diagnosed that "Southeast Asian countries are seeking to diversify their partnerships to reduce the risks brought by the intensifying competition between the US and China, but they still heavily rely on China in certain areas such as tourism, investment, and trade."

In fact, China absorbed about 20% of Southeast Asia's total exports (16% for the US) and accounted for 26% of Southeast Asia's total imports. Additionally, between 2015 and 2024, China accounted for 21% of new investment projects in Southeast Asia, exceeding Japan (13%), becoming the largest investor.

This index was calculated based on five areas: economic relations, defense networks, diplomatic influence, cultural influence, and regional involvement.

The report analyzed that "in many countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar, the US is still unable to be a substantial competitor to China."

ASEAN is currently China's largest trading partner. On the other hand, China ranks first with a dominant advantage in people-to-people exchanges (tourists and students), but ranks sixth in media influence.

The US maintains the deepest influence in defense networks and remains the strongest partner for the Philippines and Singapore. However, the report pointed out that the Trump administration's tariffs and cutbacks in aid weakened this influence.

The report continued to point out that "apart from the US and China, four Indo-Pacific countries—Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea—have a certain degree of influence in Southeast Asia, but only Japan has multifaceted influence across all areas and exerts influence throughout the region."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846738372243465/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.