Number: RL34310
Title: China's "Soft Power" in Southeast Asia
Authors: Thomas Lum, Wayne M. Morrison, and Bruce Vaughn, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: This report provides evidence and analysis of China's soft power in Southeast Asia. The report describes China's evolving diplomacy and more active role in regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Although China's foreign aid to Southeast Asia, as in other regions, is difficult to quantify and includes a broader range of economic assistance than official development assistance (ODA) offered by major industrialized nations, it is believed to be relatively large. China is considered to be the "primary economic patron" of the small but strategically important nations of Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, and also provides considerable economic aid to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Pages: 21
Date: January 4, 2008