How GDI can support ASEAN's next phase of growth

BEIJING, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- This is an op-ed from China Daily:

Southeast Asia is entering a more complex phase of development. Today's development blueprint for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also includes building stronger institutions, narrowing development gaps, improving resilience and ensuring that the fruits of regional integration are shared among its people and communities more evenly.

Against this backdrop, China's Global Development Initiative has clear relevance for Southeast Asia. The GDI's priorities — poverty reduction, food security, public health, development financing, climate action, industrialization, connectivity and the digital economy — overlap with many of the region's needs. China offers not just financial might but also infrastructure capabilities, technological strengths and development experience.

However, the true value of the GDI in Southeast Asia will depend not only on what China can finance or build, but also on how well China's capabilities align with ASEAN's priorities. Its most impactful contribution may not be creating a separate development path, but helping ASEAN implement its existing commitments and integration plans.

ASEAN's challenges are deeply interconnected. The region faces climate pressures, technological disruption, supply chain vulnerabilities, persistent development disparities and uneven implementation capabilities. These issues cannot be addressed through isolated projects. They demand stronger regional systems, better cross-border connectivity and institutions that can translate agreements into tangible action.

Recent insights from Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute researchers on Chinese-built transport projects in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam offer a grassroots perspective. Many users associate these projects with reduced travel times, greater convenience and improved access to jobs or business opportunities.

At the same time, infrastructure alone is not enough. Its wider impact may be limited when feeder networks are weak, customs procedures are inefficient or local firms cannot access new opportunities. Ensuring sound fiscal management, high environmental standards, affordability and strong social safeguards will support the long-term success of the projects.

The priority, therefore, is to ensure that the GDI supports the systems that underpin ASEAN integration. This includes strengthening implementation capacity so that officials, regulators and agencies can translate regional agreements into action. China could support long-term technical cooperation in customs modernization, digital trade regulation, standards, environmental regulation and cross-border data governance. There should be more emphasis on institutional partnerships and joint problem-solving initiatives.

The GDI can add value by linking physical projects with the necessary regulatory, digital and institutional systems to create integrated economic corridors.

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SOURCE China Daily