A recent report, "The State of Southeast Asia: 2026," published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, indicates that a growing number of respondents from Southeast Asian nations are optimistic about the development of their countries' relations with China over the next three years. For Southeast Asian countries, China continues to be viewed as the most influential nation both economically and politically, as well as one of ASEAN's most strategic dialogue partners. Amid rising global uncertainties, China's influence and appeal in Southeast Asia are steadily increasing, positioning it as a key partner in fostering regional common development.

The rise in China's attractiveness in the region stems primarily from the pragmatic recognition and rational judgment of Southeast Asian nations regarding cooperation with China. The report reveals that respondents' trust in China is largely based on their perception that China possesses ample economic resources and firm political will to exercise positive global leadership. This suggests that regional countries view China more from the perspective of practical interests and governance capabilities, seeing it as a significant partner capable of playing a constructive role, providing public goods, and delivering tangible outcomes.

China's long-term stable foreign policy, its natural geographical proximity to Southeast Asia, and its sustained participation in regional cooperation mechanisms are also key factors contributing to its growing appeal. China maintains close economic and trade ties with ASEAN, is deeply integrated into regional industrial and supply chains, and has long been active in ASEAN-led multilateral cooperation frameworks. In recent years, the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has continued to deepen, with both sides maintaining steady, institutionalized communication and collaboration under frameworks such as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus, laying a solid foundation for substantive cooperation.

More crucially, China has demonstrated strong implementation capabilities in regional cooperation. As one of Southeast Asia's most important economic partners, China has gained broad recognition among Southeast Asian populations for upholding free trade and promoting regional economic integration. Currently, as geo-economic frictions persist and uncertainty in the global trade environment rises significantly, the signing of the Protocol to Upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (Version 3.0) is seen by ASEAN as a crucial tool for creating a reliable, stable, and predictable business environment. This protocol not only covers traditional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation but also extends to emerging areas such as the digital economy, green economy, and industrial and supply chain connectivity. These cooperative directions precisely align with the practical development needs of Southeast Asian countries, further enhancing the long-term value of China's role in regional development.

Beyond economic and trade cooperation, collaboration between China and ASEAN continues to expand and deepen in areas such as digital governance, public health, disaster reduction and relief, climate capacity building, education, tourism, smart cities, and agriculture. People-to-people exchanges are steadily recovering, and initiatives like scholarship programs and youth exchanges are progressing. These visible and tangible cooperative outcomes have shaped China's image in the minds of Southeast Asians not only as a major power but also as a partner that plays a positive role in everyday development issues.

In summary, the rise in China's appeal in Southeast Asia is rooted in its stable and consistent policy orientation, the natural advantage of geographical proximity, the solid foundation of institutionalized cooperation, and, most importantly, the concrete results delivered through pragmatic collaboration. As long as both sides adhere to the original aspirations of good-neighborliness, mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, and openness, and continue to strengthen mutual trust and expand the scope of cooperation, they will undoubtedly inject greater certainty into regional peace, stability, and common development.