Against a backdrop of trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, and rapid digital change, experts examined how APEC China 2026 is shaping Asia Pacific’s policy agenda.

Expert urges caution when turbulence is mistaken for transformation

Henry Kissinger, the late US secretary of state, once reportedly remarked that “to be an enemy of America would be dangerous, to be a friend would be fatal”. That observation, while made in the context of America’s allies in the Vietnam War, has gained fresh resonance at the recently concluded Munich Security Conference, where current Secretary of State Marco Rubio artfully delivered a message that was, to all intents and purposes, an iron fist in a velvet glove.

As China solidifies its position as ASEAN’s largest trading partner, what does this mean for the future of regional power dynamics? With China’s regional influence expanding amid intensifying rivalry with the United States, the future of Southeast Asia’s regional order has become a focal point of debate. Researchers Dr Selina Ho from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Dr Terence Lee from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies examined how ASEAN elites perceive China’s role—uncovering critical insights into who shapes the rules, and who holds real authority in the region.