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Open Access · Peer Reviewed · ISSN 2383-9449
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Journal of Contemporary Eastern AsiaPolitical, social, and economic trends in East and Southeast Asia

Research Article · Vol. 25, No. 1 (2026) · pp. 27-53

The Belt and Road Online: Mapping a Decade of BRI Discourse in Southeast Asian News Media

  • Arif Wibowo — Universitas Indonesia

Published Jun 30, 2026

Abstract

Ten years after the Belt and Road Initiative's launch, this article maps its discursive career across 41 Southeast Asian news outlets (2013–2023). Topic modeling of 85,000 articles shows a shift from infrastructure optimism toward debt-sustainability and sovereignty frames, moderated by each country's economic exposure to Chinese lending.

Keywords:Belt and Road InitiativeSoutheast Asiatopic modelingnews framingChina

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