In the context of the rise of China and the decline of United States (US) leadership in the region, organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have shown their potential in shaping the geopolitics and economics of the region.
This journalism LAB offered students an opportunity to look at ASEAN’s future by reporting on Cambodia and China, asking questions such as, what does the role of Cambodia say about the future of this regional organisation? And, what roles can Cambodia and ASEAN play in the US-China trade friction?
The LAB kicked off in Singapore, where the group discussed past reportage and visited the ASEAN Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group then travelled to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville in Cambodia, where they met with representatives from businesses, non-governmental organisations, and think tanks, in addition to journalists working and living in Cambodia. Students on this LAB gained experience reporting, researching, interviewing, writing, and using geopolitical and economic analyses from the field. The group also had the opportunity to meet with second- and third-year journalism students from the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the only public journalism and communication training ground in Cambodia. During the course of this LAB, each participant wrote and workshopped a story drawing upon meetings and visits in both countries.
