The emergence of the geoeconomic order has led to a vicious cycle involving the securitisation of international trade between rival nations. Across regions, countries have approached economic security measures with concern, fuelling the downward spiral toward economic protectionism globally. However, regional experiences in Southeast Asia highlights contrasting trends amid these prevailing geoeconomic dynamics.
Despite records of economic coercion, middle powers in Southeast Asia continue to advocate for a stable regional environment through free trade and multilateral cooperation. Southeast Asia’s experience highlights how geoeconomics does not operate in a vacuum but is contingent on the specific regional context. Southeast Asia’s experience suggests the enduring nature of existing trade orders that try to balance the prevailing logic of geoeconomic competition.