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💡Topic: The Ripple Effect: China's Complex Presence in Southeast Asia <中國企業出海東南亞：跨境投資背後的勢與局>
📆Date: Tuesday, 16/9/2025
⏰Time: Doors open at 7:30 PM
📍Location: The Pondside, 10 Cotton Tree Dr, Central, Hong Kong
🎙️Speaker: Professor Han, The University of Hong Kong, Department of Politics and Public Administration
As Chinese businesses rapidly expand into the Southeast Asia market, what lies beneath the glossy headlines and record investments? Are these partnerships shaping the region for mutual growth — or quietly redrawing the geopolitical map?
When we talk about China's influence in Southeast Asia, many discussions focus on how the Chinese government uses its power to shape the region. But this overlooks an important reality: China today is complex, decentralized, and deeply connected to the world. In this talk, Professor Han challenges the audience to look beyond the Chinese state. Private businesses, migrants, and other non-state actors from China also play a major role in shaping Southeast Asia's perception of China. Their actions, often unintentional, can have lasting effect on regional relations.
A specialist in international relations and comparative politics in Asia, Prof. Han’s research focuses on China’s foreign policy, regional diplomacy, and the political economy of globalization. His work provides a grounded, critical lens on how power, culture, and capital flow across borders — and what’s often left out of the headlines.
Whether you’re a founder eyeing ASEAN, a policy enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of Asia, this is the talk that connects the dots between business, politics, and people.
Grab a drink 🍸, join the conversation 🧠, and discover what China’s “going out” strategy really looks like — from the ground up.
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