Southeast Asia Gains New Leverage as China and US Battle for Influence (Nikkei Asian Review)

Cambodia and other nations across Southeast Asia are emerging as vital staging grounds for a new form of power struggle between China and its rivals. The growth of Beijing’s vast Belt and Road Initiative since 2013 has galvanized the U.S. and its allies — including Japan, India and Australia — and prompted them to draw up infrastructure and security programs of their own.

For recipient countries of such Chinese and Western initiatives, there are both opportunities and risks. While some nations may still feel pressure to choose between benefactors, others now find themselves shifting from a position of weakness to one of strength — at least to exploit the competition as China, Japan and the U.S. all try to transform into kinder, gentler financiers. READ MORE

Similar Posts:

• Asia at a Crossroads: Demographics, Economics & Investment (State Street)
• Economic Prospects in Several Emerging Asia Countries (Wells Fargo Securities)
• The Spoils of Trade War: Asia’s Winners and Losers in US-China Clash (SCMP)
• 2017 Global Retail Development Index (ATKearney)
• BlackRock’s Swann: Look at the China Slowdown in a Long Term Context (FE Trustnet)
• No Improvement in Asia Pacific Corporate Payments in 2015 (Coface)
• Which Emerging Markets Have the Most Leveraged Stocks? (Bloomberg)
• Oil Price Rally Puts Asian Governments in a Tight Spot (Nikkei Asian Review)
• The World in 2050 (PWC)
• Are There Greater Opportunities In Asia’s Frontier Markets Than in China? (FT)