Pekcan, Cemre2025-01-272025-01-272023978-100098415-6978-103245563-1https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003377597-11https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12428/13437China’s foreign policy under the leadership of Xi Jinping has undergone a transformation from a low-profile approach to a more assertive stance. Leveraging its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, China has brought the Health Silk Road to the forefront of its health diplomacy efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in 2019, presented China with the opportunity to showcase its leadership on the global stage through Health Silk Road diplomacy and to enhance its influence in Southeast Asia through health diplomacy. China successfully kept the pandemic under control within its borders and it then started offering medical aid to many nations by donating masks and vaccines. Although these initiatives strengthened ties with regional governments, opinions of China’s contribution to the pandemic response varied throughout Southeast Asian countries. While several nations considered China to be the most helpful country during the pandemic, a study by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute showed that there were also doubts about China’s economic clout and dependability as a strategic partner. China may need to implement more open and transparent policies and make greater use of its soft power to overcome these problems and further improve its standing in the area. Overall, this chapter highlights the significant role that COVID-19 has played in shaping China’s health diplomacy efforts and its relations with Southeast Asian nations. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Erman Akilli, Burak Güneş and Ahmet Gökbel.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBook Chapter9710910.4324/9781003377597-112-s2.0-85174126026N/A