IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/chnrpt/v62y2026i1p33-52.html

China’s BRI and the EU’s Global Gateway in Southeast Asia: Conditional Engagement Versus Non-interference

Author

Listed:
  • Brice Tseen Fu Lee

    (Fudan University, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai, China
    Universidad del Desarrollo, Faculty of Government, Santiago, Chile. briceleetseenfu@gmail.com)

  • Ignacio Vicuña Betancourt

    (Universidad del Desarrollo, Faculty of Government, Santiago, Chile. Ivicunab@udd.cl)

  • Juan Pablo Sims

    (Universidad del Desarrollo, Faculty of Government, Santiago, Chile
    Fudan University, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai, China. jsims@udd.cl)

  • Linh Dieu Dinh

    (London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of International Development, London, United Kingdom. linhdd09.sic@gmail.com)

  • Yun-Tso Lee

    (Universidad del Desarrollo, Faculty of Government, Santiago, Chile. Ylee@udd.cl)

Abstract

This article explores the contrasting strategies of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway in Southeast Asia, focusing on the principles of conditional engagement and non-interference. The BRI offers flexible financing with minimal political conditions, allowing recipient countries to maintain sovereignty over domestic affairs, but raising concerns over debt dependency and transparency. In contrast, the Global Gateway emphasises sustainable investments tied to governance reforms, human rights and environmental protections, which, while promoting long-term stability, can be perceived as interference by nations wary of external influence. Through a comparative analysis, this article examines the economic and political implications of both models, assessing their impact on infrastructure development, governance and sovereignty in Southeast Asia. By highlighting the advantages and drawbacks of each approach, the study addresses the broader question of how external powers can effectively engage in the region without undermining national autonomy. The findings suggest that while both initiatives offer significant benefits, their success depends on the specific needs and preferences of individual Southeast Asian nations.

Suggested Citation

  • Brice Tseen Fu Lee & Ignacio Vicuña Betancourt & Juan Pablo Sims & Linh Dieu Dinh & Yun-Tso Lee, 2026. "China’s BRI and the EU’s Global Gateway in Southeast Asia: Conditional Engagement Versus Non-interference," China Report, , vol. 62(1), pages 33-52, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:chnrpt:v:62:y:2026:i:1:p:33-52
    DOI: 10.1177/00094455251392166
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00094455251392166
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00094455251392166?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siew Yean Tham, 2024. "Chinese Investments in Malaysia: Synthesising the Evidence Ten Years into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)," Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya & Malaysian Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 119-139, January.
    2. Angela Pennisi di Floristella, 2023. "The Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme and the EU’s normative dilemma: the case of Myanmar’s garment sector," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(11), pages 2404-2421, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      More about this item

      Keywords

      ;
      ;
      ;
      ;
      ;

      Statistics

      Access and download statistics

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:chnrpt:v:62:y:2026:i:1:p:33-52. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.