Chinas implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has attracted the interest of many scholars, who have studied it geopolitical importance, its link to Chinas rising power, the reactions from its major trade rivals, and the use of such initiative to expand Chinese influence in regions such as South Asia, East Africa, and Easter Europe. There have also been studies looking at how Chinese financial institutions and enterprises have taken part in the initiative. Many suspected that the influence of BRI in the way that Chinese enterprises operate in BRIs main corridors, including in South East Asia, is not straightforward and the Chinese government is not a monolithic institution. This research aims at investigating whether there is a clearly defined target; strong guidance, and direct reporting link between Chinese government in their implementation of BRI and Chinese enterprises operating in South East Asia. This will help understanding key actors within the public and private spheres in the implementation of BRI, how they are interconnected, and therefore how should South East Asian countries respond better to tap into economic and technical resources that they need in their course of development. The research would like to also explore whether Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have a role to play in bridging communications between ASEAN member states (AMS) and China.

Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), state capitalism, state-owned enterprise, China, and Southeast Asia

• Dr. Lili Yulyadi, B.IRK., B.HSc., M.HSc.

• Dr. Yi Ying, S.S., M.Lit., M.Pd.

• Dayu Nirma Amurwanti, S.E., M.H.,M.Sc.

• Dr. Roseno Aji Affandi, S.E., M.M.