Why ASEAN’s post-pandemic economic recovery will be mainly China-dependent?

Abstract

Historians will certainly dedicate particular attention to the period of 2020-2021, when the COVID–19 pandemic raged and wreaked havoc around the world – possibly viewing this event as a critical, once-in-a-lifetime disruptor that singlehandedly divided our era into a pre- and post-pandemic one. However, assessing the economic landscape of the ASEAN region allows us to take a slightly different approach, whereby the current pandemic is viewed as accelerating the already established underlying processes underpinning ASEAN’s economic realities. This article attempts to examine what the post-pandemic economic recovery of ASEAN might look like in 2021 and analyze those factors that are likely to facilitate such a recovery.