When Titans Clash (2021 - 2025)

A 3 year trade war has created corporate casualties in both US and China. In China, a dual circulation model is now underway to mitigate the effects of US protectionism. In the US, a Biden administration mulls new economic measures against China, even as industry groups lobby for tariffs to be lifted. Both countries also brace for what used to be unthinkable- the possibility of a financial war.

A tech war with China continues under a Biden administration, with profound implications for the world's biggest tech companies like TikTok, Huawei, Facebook and Tesla. Chinese students and scientists in the US grapple with increasing scrutiny as accusations of espionage intensifies. Over in China, how are American tech companies located there, responding to the tech war? If the tech war continues unabated, what is the cost of bifurcation of global technology?

Amid brewing tensions between the world's two superpowers, Southeast Asia continues to leverage on China's economic engine, while enjoying a security blanket provided by the US. As both sides continue to compete for influence over the region, ASEAN states find themselves entangled in the throes of their conflict. From increasing militarisation in the South China Sea, and the deteriorating of decades-old alliances, to a massive manufacturing diaspora in the region, we examine the quandary the Sino-US rivalry has created for Southeast Asia.