What we do?

From May 20 to August 10, 2024, Bryan Andía, a researcher affiliated with CECHAP, made a research trip to Southeast Asia as part of the preparation of his Master’s thesis in Asian Studies at the Colegio de México. The countries he visited were Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and East Timor. In particular, he sought to interview academics, members of think tanks and diplomats on the most relevant issues in the international relations of the region as a whole, as well as specific issues in each country.

During his time in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, he met with Cheng-Chwee Kuik, Professor of International Relations at the National University of Malaysia; Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia; Ricardo Morote, Ambassador of Peru to Malaysia; and Andrea Passeri, Professor of International Relations at Taylor University. In Singapore, he had the opportunity to talk with Sebastian Dettman, professor at Singapore Management University. During his visit to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, he was able to talk with Professors Alex Arifianto, Sinderpal Singh and Chang Jun Yan. In Malaysia and Singapore, one of the main topics of conversation was the policy of non-alignment in the foreign policy of Southeast Asian countries, as well as maritime security issues due to the location of these countries in the Strait of Malacca, which is very important for world trade.

During his time in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, he was able to meet with Duncan McCargo, a leading expert on Thailand, and Chanintira na Thalang, a professor at Thammasat University. Topics of conversation revolved around domestic political problems and how the local automotive industry, so important to the Thai economy, has to adapt to new trends such as the production of electric vehicles.

During his brief visit to Nom Pen, the capital of Cambodia, he spoke with Khath Bunthorn, a researcher at the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). The recent change of leadership in the country led to a change in its foreign policy, moving away from the perception of Cambodia as a client state of China to a country that is once again looking for other partners for trade and investment.

In Indonesia he was able to attend the “AAS-in-Asia 2024” conference of the Association for Asian Studies – AAS held in Yogyakarta. During the conference he was able to meet with Dung Phan from the Australian National University, Ariel Mota from the University of Hawaii and Mica Barreto from the National University of East Timor. In Jakarta, he was able to chat with Dewi Fortuna Anwar, one of the most renowned internationalists in the country, as well as with Professor Ardhitya Eduard Yeremia Lalisang of the University of Indonesia and Yohanes Sulaiman of Jenderal Achmad Yani University. The topics under discussion among Indonesian internationalists were again predicting what the foreign policy of Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, would be like. Another hot topic was the role of critical minerals, so necessary for energy transition, in regional geopolitics, particularly nickel mining in Indonesia.

As the final leg of his trip, he visited Dili, capital of East Timor, where he interviewed Stefania Dina (country director for East Timor of the Asian Development Bank – ADB), Zevonia Vieira (president of the East Timor Journalists Association), Marta da Silva (Researcher at the La’o Hamutuk Institute), Joaquin da Fonseca (Secretary General of the National Resistance of East Timorese Students – RENETIL), Guteriano Neves (Research and Analysis Coordinator of the Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity – PROSIVU), and Nelson Belo (Director of Fundasaun Mahein). The economy of this post-conflict country is heavily dependent on a shrinking sovereign wealth fund which is likely to lead to a fiscal crisis when the fund runs out in a couple of years.

During the trip, Andía found that the geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China is a constant theme in his conversations with academics in the region despite the cultural and linguistic differences in this diverse region that is Southeast Asia. In addition, more research was found on the role of other actors in the region such as India, Australia, South Korea and Japan. Many internationalists in this region argue that Southeast Asian countries are taking advantage of the geopolitical context by attracting more investment and trade from China, the U.S. and other countries without taking a clear position in the face of the aforementioned rivalry.

Since Peru, and Latin America in general, are not exempt from the potential effects of such rivalry, more comparative research is needed on how Asia-Pacific countries handle such a dilemma, and what lessons could be drawn for the Peruvian and Latin American context.