The Impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia's Relations with China - Dr Pichamon Yeophantong - a podcast by Sydney Southeast Asia Centre

Is the COVID-19 pandemic eroding China’s influence in Southeast Asia? How has it affected perceptions of China in the region, and how might this shape China's foreign relations in Asia?

While China's rising influence in Southeast Asia has undoubtedly brought about economic development opportunities, it also presents complex geopolitical challenges for the region. These have come to the forefront amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as many Southeast Asian countries struggle to contain risks of economic downturn. The effects of the pandemic and resulting social isolation measures have been particularly pronounced in the manufacturing sector which relies heavily on Chinese companies' investments.Dr Pichamon Yeophantong sat down with Dr Natali Pearson to look at the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia's relations with China, with a particular focus on the garment manufacturing industry and its implications on human rights.

About Pichamon Yeophantong [พิชามญชุ์ เอี่ยวพานทอง; 皮查蒙·约范童]:

Pichamon is an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). She also leads the Responsible Business Lab and Environmental Justice and Human Rights Project at HASS.A China specialist by training, Pichamon's research focuses on Chinese foreign policy and the political economy of sustainable development (including resource conflict and energy transitions) in the Asia-Pacific. In addition to her ARC-funded project on how to better regulate Chinese resource and infrastructure investment overseas, Pichamon is a Chief Investigator on a CARE Australia project evaluating sexual harassment prevention in Southeast Asian garment factories. In 2018, she was awarded the CHASS Australia 'Future Leader' Prize by the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Pichamon has conducted extensive fieldwork in China and Southeast Asia, having served as a consultant to the Africa Progress Panel, Overseas Development Institute, International Rivers, and the American Friends Service Committee, among others. Her work has appeared in such publications as Asian Survey, Chinese Journal of International Politics, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Pacific Affairs, and Water International.

You can follow Pichamon on Twitter @eastforeden.

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