Is China an environmental friend or foe for Southeast Asia?

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Deutsche Welle or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: China is Southeast Asia’s largest investor in clean energy — but its expanding footprint in mining, refining, and heavy industry is triggering protests, environmental damage, and public health concerns
• From nickel in Indonesia to rare earths in Myanmar, Chinese projects are driving pollution in sensitive ecosystems, raising questions about accountability and host-country enforcement

🔭 The context: China's industries are relocating abroad due to stricter domestic environmental laws and excess capacity
• Southeast Asian nations welcome investment but often lack regulatory power, creating conditions ripe for unchecked environmental degradation

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The paradox of green finance funding polluting operations puts regional sustainability goals at risk
• Arsenic contamination, toxic sediment build-up, and health hazards are surfacing near Chinese-backed projects
• China's dual role as both climate ally and polluter complicates Southeast Asia’s energy transition

⏭️ What’s next:
• Governments in the region may toughen environmental regulations or promote “resource nationalism” to retain more value from extraction
• The long-term impact will hinge on how both Chinese companies and Southeast Asian regulators respond to local resistance and ecological scrutiny

💬 One quote: “Most governments care more about economic development than they do environmental sustainability — exactly as the Chinese government did.” – Zachary Abuza, National War College

📈 One stat: Chinese firms control over 75% of Indonesia’s nickel refining capacity — with two companies accounting for 70% alone

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