The East-West Center in Washington invites you to an
Indo-Pacific Foreign Policy and Defense Series Webinar:
Coronavirus, China, and the Courting of Southeast Asia
Featuring:
Dr. Benjamin Ho
Fulbright Visiting Scholar,
Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University &
Assistant Professor, China Programme,
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore
Mr. Sebastian Strangio
Southeast Asia Editor, The Diplomat
Dr. Satu P. Limaye (Moderator)
Vice President, East-West Center &
Director, East-West Center in Washington
East-West Center in Washington · Coronavirus, China, and the Courting of Southeast Asia
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated tensions between the United States and China, and the region of Southeast Asia has been increasingly drawn into the orbit of great power struggle for political influence. Part of this jostling for influence involve trying to sway the countries in Southeast Asia ideologically into their respect political visions of global governance. This talk discussed how China seeks to procure its strategic interests in the region to erode American influence in the region and in doing so, to carve out a niche sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific. It built upon the findings of Dr. Benjamin Ho’s latest article for the National Defense University’s PRISM journal, “China’s Strategic Objectives in a Post-COVID-19 World.” Dr. Ho's PowerPoint presentation is also available for viewing.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Benjamin Ho is Assistant Professor at the China Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore. He is Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University (Nov 21 - Feb 22) researching “The China Challenge and the Future of Rules-Based Order in Southeast Asia.” His book China's Political Worldview and Chinese Exceptionalism: International Order and Global Leadership was published by Amsterdam University Press. His research articles have been published in the America Journal of Chinese Studies, China Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, East Asia: An International Quarterly, Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, Asia Policy, Australian Journal of International Affairs, and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. Since joining RSIS, Benjamin has been involved in a number of think-tank events and conferences including the Track II Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI), the Pacific Young Leaders programme and CSCAP meetings. He obtained his PhD from the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat. In 2008, he began his career as a reporter at The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, and has since traveled and reported extensively across Southeast Asia, paying special attention to the impact of China’s growing power. Sebastian’s writing has appeared in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He is also the author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia (Yale, 2014), a path-breaking examination of Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century (Yale, 2020).
Satu P. Limaye is Vice President of the East-West Center and the Director of the East-West Center in Washington where he created and now directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and is the founding editor of the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also a Senior Advisor at CNA Corp (Center for Naval Analyses). He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar. He publishes and speaks widely on Indo-Pacific regional issues and supports various U.S. government, foundation, fellowship, and professional organizations. Among his current affiliations are Center for New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on the U.S.-Philippines Alliance, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Senior Study Group on the North Pacific, Project 2049 Study Group on the U.S.-Australia Alliance, Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Advisory Council, and Global Taiwan Institute-Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation project. Recent publications include: Southeast Asia’s choices: Economic, political, and geopolitical integration face complications, India in East Asia: Focused on the Quad and Border Disputes with China, and Maintaining the Technology Edge: Strengthening US and Indo-Pacific Alliances to Counter Chinese Technology Acquisition (with Rose Tenyotkin).
The East-West Center in Washington invites you to an
Indo-Pacific Foreign Policy and Defense Series Webinar:
Coronavirus, China, and the Courting of Southeast Asia
Featuring:
Dr. Benjamin Ho
Fulbright Visiting Scholar,
Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University &
Assistant Professor, China Programme,
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore
Mr. Sebastian Strangio
Southeast Asia Editor, The Diplomat
Dr. Satu P. Limaye (Moderator)
Vice President, East-West Center &
Director, East-West Center in Washington
East-West Center in Washington · Coronavirus, China, and the Courting of Southeast Asia
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated tensions between the United States and China, and the region of Southeast Asia has been increasingly drawn into the orbit of great power struggle for political influence. Part of this jostling for influence involve trying to sway the countries in Southeast Asia ideologically into their respect political visions of global governance. This talk discussed how China seeks to procure its strategic interests in the region to erode American influence in the region and in doing so, to carve out a niche sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific. It built upon the findings of Dr. Benjamin Ho’s latest article for the National Defense University’s PRISM journal, “China’s Strategic Objectives in a Post-COVID-19 World.” Dr. Ho's PowerPoint presentation is also available for viewing.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Benjamin Ho is Assistant Professor at the China Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore. He is Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University (Nov 21 - Feb 22) researching “The China Challenge and the Future of Rules-Based Order in Southeast Asia.” His book China's Political Worldview and Chinese Exceptionalism: International Order and Global Leadership was published by Amsterdam University Press. His research articles have been published in the America Journal of Chinese Studies, China Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, East Asia: An International Quarterly, Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, Asia Policy, Australian Journal of International Affairs, and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. Since joining RSIS, Benjamin has been involved in a number of think-tank events and conferences including the Track II Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI), the Pacific Young Leaders programme and CSCAP meetings. He obtained his PhD from the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat. In 2008, he began his career as a reporter at The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, and has since traveled and reported extensively across Southeast Asia, paying special attention to the impact of China’s growing power. Sebastian’s writing has appeared in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. He is also the author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia (Yale, 2014), a path-breaking examination of Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century (Yale, 2020).
Satu P. Limaye is Vice President of the East-West Center and the Director of the East-West Center in Washington where he created and now directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and is the founding editor of the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also a Senior Advisor at CNA Corp (Center for Naval Analyses). He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar. He publishes and speaks widely on Indo-Pacific regional issues and supports various U.S. government, foundation, fellowship, and professional organizations. Among his current affiliations are Center for New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on the U.S.-Philippines Alliance, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Senior Study Group on the North Pacific, Project 2049 Study Group on the U.S.-Australia Alliance, Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Advisory Council, and Global Taiwan Institute-Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation project. Recent publications include: Southeast Asia’s choices: Economic, political, and geopolitical integration face complications, India in East Asia: Focused on the Quad and Border Disputes with China, and Maintaining the Technology Edge: Strengthening US and Indo-Pacific Alliances to Counter Chinese Technology Acquisition (with Rose Tenyotkin).
