Looking Beyond China: Navigating Southeast Asia

Join us for a look at the Southeast Asia market growth dynamics and emerging geopolitical realities.

Featured speaker will be LTC James "Randy" Johnson, Assistant Professor.

From the Department of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Operations (DJIMO) at the Command and General Staff College (GCSC) in Leavenworth, KS.

Professor Johnson will focus on how emerging geopolitical realities and market growth dynamics are creating a world of uncertainty in 2020 as companies navigate the impacts of the U.S.-China trade war, the coronavirus challenge, and rising labor costs in China.  As the world’s fourth largest economy and third largest bloc by population (650M+), Southeast Asia appears to be a promising international trade destination full of new laborers, new consumers, and a new frontier of economic opportunity already integrated into the global supply chain of Asia.   Like an electric engine on a hybrid car, ASEAN could be the complementary economic power source to the giants of Asia and the world’s multinational corporations while driving the region’s missing economic and political cooperation to harness the global potential of Asia. Or is it?

Navigating Southeast Asia takes a look at the geographic, political, historical, socio-cultural, and economic story of a region with enormous potential and challenges for the 21st century.  Sitting astride the great Pacific and Indian Oceans with enormous natural resources, its ports long connected vibrant trade routes emanating from the Middle East, India, and beyond to the economic engine of Northeast Asia and China.  Its politics represented a diversity of kingdoms now transformed into a web of governments from military juntas and communist politburos to emerging democracies and one-party city-states.  Is this a region of untapped economic potential, Greenfield investment locations, export center for garments, electronics, and machinery and unique source of skilled laborers or a region full of rule of law concerns and corruption challenges?  As Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, said in 2013, “Southeast Asia presents a compelling growth opportunity.”  How compelling is it?

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