Reference News Network, July 14 report: Hong Kong's South China Morning Post website published an article by Isabel Tsai, a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, titled "How Chinese Brands Use Soft Power to Influence Southeast Asia," as follows:

Several years ago, the Chinese chain brand Mingshi Bingcheng, which sells low-cost ice cream and drinks, spread across Southeast Asia. Now, the number of Mingshi Bingcheng's global stores has even exceeded international food giants such as Starbucks and McDonald's.

Mingshi Bingcheng is not the only Chinese chain brand emerging in Southeast Asia. Over the past five years, the number of Chinese supermarkets and food stores has significantly increased in major Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In 2010, the share of food imports from China in Southeast Asia accounted for 8.5% of its total food imports; by 2020, this proportion had risen to 10.9%. Between 2010 and 2022, the largest increases in the share of food imports from China were seen in Thailand (5.1 percentage points), the Philippines (4 percentage points), and Singapore (1.8 percentage points).

The growth in food trade is partly due to preferential tariffs on products and services (including agricultural products) under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between China and ASEAN signed in 2002, and later the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Chinese companies have taken advantage of these agreements to target these large markets. For example, despite tense Sino-Philippine relations, Chinese products and trends are increasingly popular among Filipino youth.

Packaging labels and Chinese restaurant chains have also enhanced the presence of Chinese brands. According to a report by Singapore-based Moota Capital, over 60 Chinese restaurant brands have opened more than 6,100 stores in Southeast Asia. This expansion reflects the intense competition within China's catering industry, which has driven many chain brands to seek opportunities abroad. It is reported that out of the top 100 restaurant chains worldwide by number of stores, 54 are Chinese brands, many of which have branches in Southeast Asia.

These chain brands are usually concentrated in Chinese communities or areas with deep historical ties to Chinese culture—especially in Singapore.

Soft power studies typically emphasize the role of culture in shaping values, and its influence is evident in changes in urban and metropolitan landscapes. However, food as a medium of cultural transmission is often overlooked. Today, ubiquitous, character-laden, cheap, and delicious snacks are shaping the youth culture of Southeast Asia, just as Western dietary culture influenced China during its reform and opening-up period.

Evidently, a broad strategy aimed at advancing Chinese interests and countering Western cultural influence through enhancing "national cultural soft power" has already been launched both domestically and in neighboring countries.

Frequent exposure to reliable Chinese brands has improved the image of China among Southeast Asian youth, creating a non-intentional reverse "country-of-origin effect": consumers do not choose specific products from a country because of a good impression of that country, but rather high-quality products improve consumers' impressions of the country.

What benefits China is that these brands themselves have also taken active measures to win the hearts of consumers. Moreover, these brands not only strive to attract the region's vast Chinese community but also attempt to integrate into the local environments they enter.

The current trend clearly shows that as economic integration between China and ASEAN countries deepens, food trade will continue to grow. As more and more Southeast Asian youths come into contact with Chinese elements—from songs and social platforms to TV dramas and games—and immerse themselves in an increasingly strong "Chinese atmosphere," their familiarity with China will deepen. Southeast Asians will surely see more Chinese chain brands on the streets. (Translated by Xiong Wenyuan)

A Mingshi Bingcheng store in Jakarta, Indonesia, photographed on November 29, 2024 (Xinhua)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7526795471029830196/

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