As geopolitical competition intensifies again in the region, Southeast Asia finds itself increasingly pressured by China and the US. Whilst China aggressively pursues its claim over Southeast maritime territory, it also commits to large investment programs throughout the region. And as the US defence establishment works to convince East Asia that American commitment to the region is not waning, President Trump continues to sow uncertainty with diplomacy by Twitter.

How is Southeast Asia reacting to these new regional flows, what is important to the people of the region, and how well are they being represented by their political leaders? How does the political communicate with the social? What role is the new media landscape playing in this new relationship?

In this podcast, Chris Farnham speaks to three journalists from leading Southeast Asian media outlets discussing East Asian geopolitics, the influence of great powers in the ASEAN region, and how the media landscape is reacting to the Internet and social media’s influence.

Sita Dewi is the Deputy Editor on the national desk at The Jakarta Post where she and her team covers politics, law and human rights, environment, public health, and education in Indonesia. In 2015, she was a recipient of an Australia Awards Scholarship and undertook a Master of Asia Pacific Studies at the ANU.

Roby Alampay is editor-in-chief of Business World. He anchors the nightly newscast, ‘The Big Story’ on Bloomberg Philippines and co-anchors ‘The Chiefs’ on One News TV 5. He was the former Executive Director of SEAPA, the Southeast Asia Press Alliance, and is well known for his strong support of press freedom in the Philippines.

Thana Boonlert is a journalist at Bangkok Post with experience covering international and domestic news, ASEAN, the Rohingya Crisis, and Thailand’s relations in the region.

Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.

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