Indonesia received the most funding from China over the last decade, according to a new report by Zero Carbon Analytics. But uncertainties caused by US-driven tariff plans could see Southeast Asian countries retract green investments, said an analyst.
China’s PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited constructed the Cirata floating solar plant in West Java, Indonesia. Image: PLN Nusantara
China is the leading source of public clean energy investments in Southeast Asia over the last decade, channeling over US$ 2.7 billion into projects across the region, according to a report by international research organisation Zero Carbon Analytics.
Tibetan spiritual leader says in a new book that his people’s aspiration for freedom cannot be indefinitely delayed.
The Dalai Lama offers blessings to his followers at his Himalayan residence in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, on December 20, 2024 [Priyanshu Singh/Reuters]
Published On 11 Mar 202511 Mar 2025
The Dalai Lama has said that his successor will be born in the “free world” outside of China.
In a new book released on Tuesday, the 89-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says that he will be reincarnated outside of Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China.
“Since the purpose of a reincarnation is to carry on the work of the predecessor, the new Dalai Lama will be born in the free world so that the traditional mission of the Dalai Lama – that is, to be the voice for universal compassion, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the symbol of Tibet embodying the aspirations of the Tibetan people – will continue,” the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet for India in 1959, writes in Voice for the Voiceless.
China considers Tibet, which has alternated between independence and Chinese control over the centuries, as an integral part of the country and views movements advocating greater autonomy or independence as threats to its national sovereignty.
Beijing has labelled the current Dalai Lama, who was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor at two years old, a “separatist” and insisted on the right to appoint his successor after his death.
The Dalai Lama, who stepped down as the political leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile in 2011 to focus on his spiritual role, has denied advocating Tibetan independence and argued for a “Middle Way” approach, which would grant the mainly Buddhist territory greater autonomy.
In his book, the Dalai Lama writes that he has received numerous petitions from people in and outside Tibet asking him to ensure that his lineage continues, and says that Tibetan people’s aspirations for freedom cannot be denied indefinitely.
“One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society,” he writes.
US President Donald Trump has made South America a priority for his administration, citing concerns about China’s growing influence in the region. Through Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, China has invested heavily in major projects in the region, particularly related to lithium reserves, transport and energy infrastructure. As a result, China has replaced the US as South America’s main trading partner over the past two decades. Early into his second term, Trump attempted to strong-arm control back in the US’ favour by threatening to seize the Panama Canal away from China’s growing influence. However, experts suggest his methods will not be enough to turn the momentum, as China’s flexible business approach and significant investments have reshaped the continent’s landscape.
Trump’s rent-seeking foreign policy pertaining to energy and critical minerals will force Southeast Asian countries to do what they least desire: making a choice between China and the US.
The Trump administration’s insular and rent-seeking foreign policy will significantly alter the geopolitics of energy transition in Southeast Asia. This will manifest in two ways. First, the potential cessation of US involvement in the region’s energy sector will heighten fears of China’s dominance in energy infrastructure projects — including the ASEAN Power Grid (APG). Second, Trump’s intentions of using critical minerals as a bargaining chip for providing military assistance, if applied to the ASEAN region, will impact the regional vision for sustainable mineral development.
The shutting down of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an important player in the energy sector, will intensify existing fears of China’s dominance in electricity transmission and generation. As shown in Table 1, China provided approximately US$534 million in aid to the region’s energy sector in 2022, accounting for more than a quarter of the total share. Comparatively, the US provided only US$23.7 million, or 1 per cent of total energy-related aid to Southeast Asia. In addition, the China Southern Power Grid Company and State Grid Corporation of China own and operate significant portions of the national grids in Laos and the Philippines, respectively.
China Leads in Energy Aid
Table 1 Energy-related aid to Southeast Asia 2022 (excerpt) (USD, in %)
Donor
Amount
Contribution
China
534 million
26
ADB
368 million
18
Germany
274 million
13
Canada
231 million
11
South Korea
211 million
10
Japan
167 million
8
World Bank
90.0 million
4
EU Institutions
42.3 million
2
France
42.2 million
2
AIIB
34.8 million
2
United States
23.7 million
1
The table is modified from Lowy Institute’s (2024) Southeast Asia Aid Map.
Myanmar’s military regime is under pressure, four years after it seized back power in a coup. The military has lost significant territory and a patchwork of anti-military groups now control different parts of the country. What’s happening? Who are the groups fighting against the military? And could the regime actually fall? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains
China has the world’s longest high-speed railway. It only took about 20 years for the country to develop the 45,000km (28,000-mile) network. Known as an “infrastructure monster”, it is an example of the sort of development that has benefited China’s political system. The country also exports railway technology as a key part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the central government’s plan to link economies into a China-centred trading network. However, the rapid development of the high-speed transport system has also raised some important concerns.
More travellers are visiting an unusual destination – Afghanistan. Since 2021, the war-torn nation has seen tourism rise more than 900 per cent. Some attribute the change to official data reporting a sharp drop in violence and increased flight connections from major cities like Dubai. Most foreign visitors are from China, reportedly because of proximity and relative ease of obtaining tourist visas. The tourism buzz has undoubtedly brought economic benefits, but others worry the nation’s efforts to draw visitors amount to propaganda hiding the dark side of Taliban rule.
Slowing growth, weak investor confidence and brain drain – Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, may be losing its lustre. Could its future lie in the Greater Bay Area, an economic integration project joining the Special Administrative Region to Guangdong and Macau?
Over the next decade, greater transport, administrative and economic links will tie Hong Kong inextricably to Southern China. But will Hong Kong find opportunity or obsolescence in the Greater Bay Area? And with around two decades till the end of “One Country Two Systems” in 2047, is the Greater Bay Area a way to assimilate Hong Kong with the Mainland?
For decades, the Middle East has been a central focus of US foreign policy. But today, America is scaling down its involvement in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Vying to fill the vacuum are China and India. Billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure projects from Asia have moved to the Middle East. Cross border investment from the region to Asia has also gained momentum. The region is counting on trade with China and India for its post-oil future. At the same time, the gulf countries are strategically important to the superpowers. For example, China and India are looking to expand military cooperation with Oman.
With the war in Gaza and the spreading Lebanon conflict, the Middle East is leaning even further away from the American pole. How will the pivot to Asia change the dynamics of the region?
THIS WEEK: U.S.-China tensions at APEC 2024, PLA Navy flexes muscles in Hong Kong, videos boost agrotechnology, overtures to overseas Chinese, and Beijing updates dual-use export control list
People walk by the entrance of the Lima Convention Center, part of the government complex where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit took place, in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Cris Bouroncle / AFP via Getty Images)
75 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the once impoverished and underdeveloped nation has transformed itself to become the world’s second-largest economy. From revolutionary beginnings to breaking new frontiers, China has charted a path of modernisation as it seeks to create opportunities to build common prosperity. CNA Correspondent looks at how China navigates economic headwinds and a turbulent geopolitical landscape as it pursues high quality development.
Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.THIS WEEK: China 5
Electric vehicle sales pass milestone, Huawei challenges Apple’s iPhone 16, new college textbook features Xi Jinping Thought on national security, Congress launches “China week” with key bills, and the wrath of Super Typhoon Yagi
An electric car charging station in China. Photo by MASTER via Getty Images.1. Electric Vehicle Sales Pass Milestone
What Happened: More than one million electric vehicles were sold in China during August, as battery-powered and plug-in hybrid models accounted for nearly 54% of all vehicle sales and demand for internal combustion engine cars continued to fall. Tiếp tục đọc “China 5 this week”→
China announced the discovery of a major natural gas field in the South China Sea on August 7, 2024. Named Lingshui 36-1, the site is said to be the world’s first “ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep waters”. Located southeast of China’s southern island of Hainan, the field lies around 1,500 metres below the sea surface. Its discovery is expected to boost energy security for China, the world’s-largest natural gas importer. But developing oil and gas resources in the South China Sea could raise tensions among rival claimants to parts of the disputed waters.
Whether by choice or circumstance, China is looking inward for its economic growth.
President Xi Jinping wants Chinese consumers to spend their way to growth, buying up domestically made goods. At the same time, the government will invest more in “New Productive Forces” – A.I, Green Tech and Advanced Computing – all for the goal of moving up the value chain and shedding China’s reliance on foreign technology.
In this period of “de-coupling” and trade wars, Beijing might have little choice but to become more self-sufficient. Yet, an overly inward-looking and nationalistic China could discourage foreign investors. Are domestic consumption and production enough to jumpstart China’s sputtering economy?
East Asian societies are steeped in Confucian ideals and the emphasis on education, authority and age. But with the region undergoing drastic economic, social and demographic changes in recent decades, some of these values are being put to the test. CNA Correspondent examines the societal shifts.
In China, Emil Wan follows 24-year-old Feng Jiajia and her husband who run a housekeeping company in the eastern city of Wuxi. The couple is among a growing number of young people in China who have ditched air-conditioned offices for blue-collar jobs as China’s economy reaches a critical juncture.
In South Korea, Lim Yun Suk takes a deep dive into the factors contributing to the growing bullying and harassment of teachers by students and parents, as the country navigates a demographic crisis. In Taiwan, Victoria Jen investigates how stagnant wages and soaring home prices have contributed to the growing prevalence of poor mental health among its young people.
00:00 Chinese youth embrace blue-collar jobs amid economic shifts
08:06 South Korea confronts teacher abuse amid demographic crisis
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