Jagged Sphere: China's Quest for Infrastructure and Influence in Mainland Southeast Asia
This report analyzes China's quest for infrastructure and influence in mainland Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects connecting southern China and the region. The report highlights that China has strong strategic imperatives to develop land routes to the sea and has both potential and motivation to pursue an infrastructural sphere of influence in the Mekong subregion. The poorer states, especially Laos and Cambodia, have been receptive to BRI and infrastructure investment, but Thailand and Vietnam have been more cautious. The report also notes that the BRI has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and environmental impact, and that some countries have raised concerns about China's influence in the region.
