Economic Zones

Hainan Free Trade Port: A game changer?

In December 2025, Hainan became an independent customs zone from the rest of mainland China, advancing its aim of becoming a globally influential free trade port by 2050. Other factors, not just favourable tariffs alone, will determine the success of this project, says academic Ngeow Chow Bing.

Ngeow Chow Bing

07 Jan 2026

ACFTA 3.0: Beijing’s quiet triumph in Southeast Asia

China is quietly weaving a new economic architecture in Southeast Asia through the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0, while US influence languishes in the region. Researcher Ronny P Sasmita argues that this strategic pact reshapes regional influence, by embedding Beijing’s standards and technologies across ASEAN.

Ronny P Sasmita

14 Nov 2025

Beijing’s western anxiety: Afghanistan’s turmoil and Trump’s return to Bagram

Rising border violence and Trump’s push for a US foothold in Afghanistan are unsettling Beijing. As the region’s fault lines reopen, China’s western frontier could become a weak link in its global ambitions. Academic Alessandro Arduino examines the implications for China’s regional stability and strategic ambition.

Alessandro Arduino

22 Oct 2025

India-China flights may resume, but trust won’t take off so easily 

Even as flights resume and trade recovers, deep distrust — shaped by border clashes and regional rivalries — continues to define India’s relationship with China. Indian analyst Rishi Gupta explores the issue.

Rishi Gupta

14 Oct 2025

Between law and power: The Philippines, China, and the future of Scarborough Shoal

China recently declared a national nature reserve at the Scarborough Shoal, despite the shoal being within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Manila-based analyst Don McLain Gill notes that the declaration is a continuation of China’s “grey zone” tactics to expand its control and normalise its presence in disputed areas.

Don McLain Gill

17 Sep 2025

How China’s COSCO is redrawing global shipping routes through Southeast Asia

China’s COSCO has launched a new direct shipping route linking Batam, Indonesia, and Yangpu, Hainan, enhancing regional trade, diversifying supply chains, and boosting Batam’s role amid growing US-China competition and shifting global maritime dynamics. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May explores its implications. 

Genevieve Donnellon-May

16 Sep 2025

How Trump’s tariff chaos is upending the global economic order

Donald Trump’s second term has upended the global economic order, weakening US-led institutions and accelerating a shift toward a less globalised, more fragmented and less US-centric world economy, says Chinese academic Jia Qingguo.

Jia Qingguo

15 Aug 2025

Nusantara: Indonesia’s bold new capital and China’s rising influence

China is playing a major role in Indonesia, not least in the relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, where China is involved in areas from infrastructure to high-tech industries. Researcher Michael Hutahaean and academic Chen Xiangming tell us more.

Michael Hutahaean, Chen Xiangming

08 Aug 2025

How countries exercising economic sovereignty impacts Singapore, the ‘little red dot’ 

Global economic developments such as the tariff war and the Kra land bridge are just some matters that could directly or indirectly affect Singapore. It is no longer just about economic sovereignty but also concerns political sovereignty, warns former Lianhe Zaobao editor Lim Jim Koon.

Lim Jim Koon

11 Jun 2025

China pivots to Southeast Asia in a fragmenting world

The recent work conference held by the Chinese Communist Party addressed issues relating to China’s neighbours, and China’s response to US tariffs. One clue to the significance of the session was the high level of those in attendance. EAI deputy director Chen Gang tells us more.

Chen Gang

02 May 2025

From Ukraine to treasury bonds: Can America still be trusted?

Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine has shattered US credibility, raising urgent questions about the trustworthiness of US debt and the dollar. Chinese academic Deng Xize asks: can the world still rely on a system built on faith in a now uncertain partner?

Deng Xize

24 Apr 2025

Does Europe have strategic autonomy?

Even as the European Union (EU) seems to operate as a whole when it comes to international organisations such as the G7 and G20, there are contradictions within the grouping, as well as between the EU and external countries. Chinese academic Guo Bingyun looks at whether Europe’s seeming strategic autonomy has real substance to it.

Guo Bingyun

10 Dec 2024