Kwa Chong Guan

Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Kwa Chong Guan is Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He joined its Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at its inception in 1996 as Head of External Relations, coordinating and growing the Institute’s networking with other policy institutions in the region. As Senior Fellow, he continues to support a series of regional security projects with other regional institutions. These range from maritime security to non-traditional security issues of energy security, cybersecurity, nuclear energy safety and security and biosecurity.

Visitors pass through the Maritime Silk Route Vessels gallery featuring models of boats which have travelled through the route in the past. These include the Chinese Junk (left), Javanese Jong (background right), and Borobudur (right). (SPH Media)

Politics

Southeast Asia in the forgotten history of the Maritime Silk Road?

By Kwa Chong Guan , By Han Fook Kwang 17 Oct 2023

Southeast Asian countries need to do more to ensure that their historical contributions in developing China-Europe trade through the Maritime Silk Road are not lost amid contemporary narratives giving prominence to China’s centrality. This is not just a matter of historical accuracy but of sovereignty and identity, say RSIS academics Kwa Chong Guan and Han Fook Kwang.