In The News

Don’t Sleep on Chinese Tech Investment in Southeast Asia

The Diplomat

May 11, 2023

In an op-ed published in The Diplomat, Ngor Luong and Channing Lee discuss the rapid expansion of Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei in Southeast Asia.

China’s government has pushed the country’s technology and financial firms to expand abroad, and Southeast Asia’s growing economies — and AI companies — offer promising opportunities. This report examines the scope and nature of Chinese investment in the region. It finds that China currently plays a limited role in Southeast Asia’s emerging AI markets outside of Singapore and that Chinese investment activity still trails behind that of the United States. Nevertheless, Chinese tech companies, with support from the Chinese government, have established a broad range of other AI-related linkages with public and commercial actors across Southeast Asia.

Ngor Luong

March 2020

Ngor Luong is a Research Analyst focusing on China.

Margarita Konaev

December 2019

Margarita Konaev is Deputy Director of Analysis and a Research Fellow interested in military applications of AI and Russian military innovation in emerging technologies.