If you’ve followed headlines about artificial intelligence, you’ve probably heard the neat, worrying story: the U.S. and China are racing for AI supremacy - America’s model is freewheeling private innovation, China’s is a tightly controlled state plan. It’s a compelling story, but incomplete. New research by Lin Zhu, Wilson Wong, Alfred M. Wu (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy), and Minqiang Zhu uncovers a surprising twist: while national governments head in opposite directions, local governments in both countries are converging on strikingly similar solutions. That convergence could open quieter, more practical channels for cooperation—right beneath the grand geopolitical drama.

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.

In the brutal world of geopolitics, great powers are like crocodiles and small states need to be very careful even when they appear to smile.

Competition for power and influence in Southeast Asia is nothing new, writes Joseph Liow, the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Non-Resident International Fellow. Unity between Southeast Asian states is key to maintaining the region’s independence.