As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for a landmark visit to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, CGTN's Global South Voices turns its spotlight on Southeast Asia's pivotal role in reshaping regional order. Western narratives too often cast Southeast Asia as a mere chessboard for great‑power influence, downplay its "miracle" growth as unsustainable, and question its ability to chart an independent course. But what is the reality on the ground? How does China's engagement compare with Western approaches, and what does this mean for the broader Global South?

Tune in to this special episode of Global South Voices as host Mushahid Hussain Sayed, co-chair of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, explores these pressing issues with experts from around the world. This edition also features a special address by Francis Manglapus, secretary‑general of the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI). Malaysian journalist Faisal Jamal, Cambodian journalist Keo Piseth and Vietnamese journalist Dao Duy Binh join the show to ask the guests their most pressing questions on behalf of their respective countries.

The other guests in this edition of Global South Voices are Syed Hamid Albar, former foreign minister of Malaysia; and Sous Yara, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the National Assembly of Cambodia.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)