Organizer: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

Type/Location: Virtual

Description:

Trump 2.0 ushers in an America bent on transactional and unilateral impulses, withdrawing from multilateral trade, scaling back international aid, and retreating from climate action and other global commitments. This shift upends the post-Cold War order, presenting China with a paradox: a strategic opening to assert its leadership in Southeast Asia by providing regional public goods across development and security, yet also significant challenges as tariffs and supply chain disruptions threaten China’s economic interests and its centrality in regional production networks. This webinar examines how Beijing perceives and navigates these dynamics: Does Trump’s return present China with a net strategic dividend to consolidate its influence in Asia, or a source of friction complicating its regional ambitions? Does Beijing see Washington’s retreat from global leadership as potentially leading to an easing or intensification of US containment against China? How has China seized this moment to deepen engagement with Southeast Asia while managing the risks posed by US policies? The webinar will also explore persistent structural challenges – such as trust deficits, geopolitical sensitivities and economic frictions – that China must address to solidify its leadership position in the region’s future.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Miao Ji is a Wang Gungwu Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and Associate Professor of the Institute of Asian Studies, China Foreign Affairs University. He also serves as a Research Fellow at the China National Collaborative Innovation Centre for Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights.

Registration:

To attend the event online, please register here.