Driving ASEAN-China connectivity: The bold promise of the Di...

he Digital Silk Road (DSR), the digital pillar of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has grown in relevance across Southeast Asia, a lucrative digital market with prospects of expanding into a US$2 trillion digital economy by 2030. The DSR aims to establish transregional digital connectivity, and nearly all ASEAN member states have already reaped the benefits, especially during the 2017-2020 period, a trend that has endured until today. The DSR should be regarded as a common resource for ASEAN and China, through which ASEAN offers a promising digital market for Chinese tech giants (including their offshore and subsidiary operations) that in turn invest heavily in the region. Since this relationship is mutually beneficial and holds tremendous potential, we contend that ASEAN and China should intensify their budding relationship to realize seamless digital connectivity. The DSR ha...