Beyond the Binary Lens: Implications of US–China Rivalry for Policy and Business

The discourse on China’s role in the emerging world order is still dominated by a narrow, binary framing centred on US–China rivalry. This obscures the reality that ASEAN, and Singapore in particular, occupies a strategically distinct position.

ASEAN maintains deep economic and cultural ties with China whilst enjoying credibility and access with and to Western governments and institutions.

This dual connectivity gives ASEAN an unmatched ability to interpret China in a grounded, non-ideological way, and to actively shape — not merely observe — a more accurate global understanding of China’s intentions, constraints, and evolution. Rather than approaching China through anxiety or ideological contestation, this webinar reframes the conversation toward strategic comprehension and practical clarity for decision-makers in business and policy. 

It argues that ASEAN’s role is not passive: the region can help reduce misperceptions, stabilise dialogue between major powers, exercise its convening legitimacy through the ASEAN Way, and practise a deliberate geopolitical balancing act that few regions can credibly sustain.

Understanding China is therefore not about choosing sides but equipping leaders and organisations with the clarity needed to navigate a post-Western, multipolar world and to shape it. This means moving beyond a Western bipolar “Thucydidean” logic towards a more multipolar order grounded in regional solidarity and development as the primary outcome. In this emerging landscape, ASEAN has both the responsibility and the opportunity to actively shape the narrative and the future it wants to see.