The Latest on Southeast Asia: Brunei and Thailand’s visits to Beijing

The Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific outreach has so far prioritized key allies and partners—Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam. This continued over the last week with a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and calls by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to counterparts in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. At the same time, Xi Jinping was playing host to the leaders of Brunei and Thailand, neither of which have so far had high-level engagement with the new team in Washington.  

On February 6, both Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met with Xi during official visits to Beijing. Xi and Bolkiah celebrated “deepened political mutual trust,” between China and Brunei and pledged cooperation in developing the sultanate’s digital economy, artificial intelligence, and new energy industries. Most notably, the two agreed to commercial development of offshore oil and gas and to "cooperate in the development of resources in mutually agreed areas, on a without prejudice basis to legal positions of the respective countries under international law, including 1982 UNCLOS.” This is a clear reference to the two countries’ overlapping claims in the South China Sea, though it is too vague to know for now whether they will actually pursue joint development or were simply papering over a point of contention. Similar language was included in a joint statement during Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Beijing last October, but outcry in Jakarta prompted Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly walk it back.  

During their meeting, Xi and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra celebrated 50 years of China-Thailand relations. Paetongtarn’s trip was focused primarily on reassuring Beijing of Bangkok’s commitment to fight cyber scam centers along its borders. The proliferation of such centers, which target Chinese internet users and often employ trafficked Chinese laborers held against their will, have provoked outrage and driven Chinese tourists away from Thailand. The issue was against thrown into the spotlight in January with the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand. Paetongtarn sought to allay these concerns, saying she had “Chinese blood in her” and guaranteeing “it's going to be very safe for [Chinese visitors.]” Just before her trip to Beijing, Thailand cut electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to five border areas in Myanmar in efforts to target the scam centers. Residents in impacted areas have complained that Chinese businesses, including scam centers, are still operating on generators while local businesses are hardest hist by the loss of power. Xi commended Thailand's attempts to crack down on the centers and urged both countries to strengthen law enforcement, security, and judicial cooperation to protect their people’s livelihoods.  

Lauren Mai is a Program Coordinator and Research Assistant for the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Gregory B. Poling is a senior fellow and director for the Southeast Asia Program and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS.

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