Slightly over half of respondents in the 2024 State of Southeast Asia Survey published by Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said that out of the world's major powers, they would prefer to partner with China, an increase of 11.6% since 2023 and topping the United States for the first time, Nikkei Asia reported on April 2. However, 50.1% of respondents still demonstrated skepticism toward China, with 45.5% expressing concerns that China might employ its economic and military might to jeopardize the interests and sovereignty of their respective countries.