China builds Southeast Asia expertise as US lets it wither

AI Summary

China is increasing its expertise in Southeast Asian area studies by elevating the discipline to a top-tier, state-backed academic field, while the US is scaling back related university programs. This reflects diverging strategies in cultivating knowledge and influence in the region.

In the contest for influence in Southeast Asia, the United States and China agree on one thing: the region is indispensable. Yet beneath the flurry of high-level summits lies a quieter divergence in how each cultivates knowledge about the region. The US is hollowing out the university-based programmes that have long trained its students in Southeast Asian languages, history and politics. China, conversely, is elevating area studies into a top-tier, state-backed academic field. Beyond a shift in...