China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has used a three-nation tour of Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar to present Beijing as a stable partner in a region roiled by war, trade tensions and doubts about US credibility.
The five-day visit ended on Sunday as Southeast Asia grapples with the fallout from the Iran war, which has driven up energy prices and threatened growth in import-dependent Asian economies.
The conflict has heightened uncertainty over Washington’s tariff policy, which Southeast Asian exporters have spent months trying to negotiate.
China positions itself as a stabilizer
Higher fuel and shipping costs are fueling inflation, while a prolonged Middle East conflict is expected to significantly reduce regional growth and create a higher cost of living crisis.
Washington’s confrontational approach has also upset Southeast Asian governments, many of which have their own territorial disputes, including with China.
In contrast, Beijing has tried to present itself as a major power protecting stability, trade and mutual cooperation.
Enze Han, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, told DW that Foreign Minister Wang’s visit shows that “China is paying a lot of attention to Southeast Asia, while the region has been ignored by the United States.”
As of this year, a small majority of Southeast Asian respondents said they would align with China rather than the US if pushed. state of southeast asiaISEAS-An annual survey published by the Yusof Ishak Institute.
In last year’s survey, 52% of respondents said they would prefer to engage with the United States.
The same survey found that 55.6% of respondents expect their country’s relations with China to improve or improve significantly over the next three years, while trust in China has also increased.
For Beijing, these numbers point to a regional mood it can exploit. For Southeast Asian governments, they also reflect hedging strategies in a more unstable world.
“Southeast Asian countries are also keen to strengthen ties with China to prepare for the worst-case scenario of a US terminal decline and a more China-centric regional order,” Hunter Marston, a non-resident adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told DW.
Better ‘Friends Made of Iron’
Cambodia was probably the easiest stop on Wang’s itinerary. Phnom Penh is Beijing’s closest partner in mainland Southeast Asia, and the two governments have long described their relationship as an “iron friendship.”
But Wang’s visit “went beyond routine reassurances and was a step toward institutionalizing the relationship at a deeper level,” Sophal Eyre, associate professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, told DW.
On April 22, Wang and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun participated in the inaugural China-Cambodia 2+2 strategic dialogue with their Cambodian counterparts. This format brings together the foreign and defense ministers, giving a more formal security dimension to the relationship.
“This signals a shift from primarily economic cooperation to more structured political and security alignment,” Eyre explained.
China targets scam centers, tension on the border
Importantly, the visit also placed Cambodia’s scam industry on the bilateral agenda. International pressure is increasing on Cambodia over cases of online fraud, where victims from across Asia have been trafficked and forced to work for criminal syndicates.
“China’s call for the abolition of scam centers indicates that Beijing is not only supporting Cambodia, but also shaping parts of its domestic policy agenda,” Eyer said.
The issue accompanied Wang to Thailand, where he met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Thai officials said the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation against international crime and cyber scams.
“For China, this is a delicate issue at home and abroad because Chinese citizens have been caught in scam centers and Chinese crime syndicates are partly responsible for the rise of the problem,” Mark Kogan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Japan’s Kansai Gaidai University, told DW.
Thailand also gave Wang a chance to step into another regional problem. Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in a deadly border conflict since last July, when fighting broke out over disputed territory on their shared border. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and more than 100 have died.
In October, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc helped negotiate the Kuala Lumpur Declaration to ensure a ceasefire, which was witnessed by US President Donald Trump. At the time, the Trump administration threatened to halt tariff negotiations with both countries unless they stopped fighting.
However, that ceasefire broke down relatively quickly, leading to a second ceasefire that broke down after fighting began in December. There has been peace since then and Anutin’s new government, formed earlier this month, has vowed to find a permanent solution.
“Compared with the United States, China’s capability as a mediator in conflict is far greater,” Kogan said.
He said, “China has nothing to lose by playing the role of peacekeeper in the Thai-Cambodian conflict, unlike its efforts in Myanmar, where diplomacy was half-hearted and driven by the need to secure its interests.”
Myanmar is a test for China
Myanmar remains the most difficult case for Beijing. Wang visited Naypyitaw after junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president when he seized power in 2021, after elections critics widely rejected as neither free nor fair.
Beijing is one of the few major powers willing to form a government after the elections. He wants stability on the border, security for Chinese projects and progress on the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a landmark project.
“Beijing firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” Wang said in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.
“This year is the first year of the new government of Myanmar. Both sides should take advantage of this opportunity to advance their traditional friendship and open new prospects for bilateral relations,” he said.
Ngeo Chau Bing, director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, told DW that China sees engagement with Myanmar’s post-election government as a way to consolidate its existing position and secure its interests in the country.
Wang’s stop in Myanmar also focused on the scam complex, border security and Myanmar’s efforts to improve relations with ASEAN.
Edited by: Keith Walker