How Southeast Asia can realize its commercial promise amid geopolitical rivalry

Keeping Southeast Asia open for business is a geopolitical task as much as a commercial one. Its relationships across geopolitical divides give companies access to competing powers’ markets, capital, and technology. In 2025, ASEAN attracted a record $243.9 billion in foreign direct investment. But conflict, U.S.-China strategic competition, and economic nationalism threaten these opportunities. Sustaining them requires protecting the security, supplies, and rules underpinning commerce. Governments must de-escalate tensions and, with businesses, understand and address the political objectives behind economic restrictions, assess whether diversification reduces vulnerabilities or creates new ones, and strengthen critical infrastructure.

Source: Fortune Crypto