Prof. Dr. KUIK Cheng Chwee

Dr. KUIK Cheng Chwee

Associate Professor
Head, Centre for Asian Studies (iKAS), Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS); National University of Malaysia (UKM)

Non Resident Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute,
Johns Hopkins SAIS

KUIK Cheng-Chwee is an Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Asian Studies at the National University of Malaysia (UKM)’s Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), and concurrently a Nonresident Fellow at Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute (FPI). He is co-founder of the East Asian International Relations (EAIR) Caucus, a research platform for exchange, engagement, and empowerment among foreign affairs professionals in Malaysia. He served as Head of the Writing Team for the Government of Malaysia’s inaugural Defence White Paper (2020). Previously he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton-Harvard “China and the World” Program (CWP) and a visiting research fellow at Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations. Dr. Kuik’s research concentrates on weaker states’ foreign policy behavior, regional multilateralism, East Asian security, China-ASEAN relations, and Malaysia’s external policy. His publications have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Contemporary China, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Chinese Journal of International Politics, Asian Security, China: An International Journal, Asian Politics and Policy, East Asian Policy, Shijie Jingji yu Zhengzhi, as well as edited books. He is co-author (with David M. Lampton and Selina Ho) of Rivers of Iron: Railroads and Chinese Power in Southeast Asia (University of California Press, October 2020), and co-editor (with Alice Ba and Sueo Sudo) of Institutionalizing East Asia: Mapping and Reconfiguring Regional Cooperation (Routledge 2016). Dr. Kuik’s essay, “The Essence of Hedging” was awarded the biennial 2009 Michael Leifer Memorial Prize by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies for the best article published in any of the three ISEAS journals. Cheng-Chwee is a regular invited speaker to international conferences and closed-door policy roundtables. His current projects include: hedging in international relations, geopolitics of infrastructure connectivity cooperation in Asia, and domestic sources of Southeast Asian states’ BRI engagement. Kuik serves on the editorial boards/committee of Contemporary Southeast Asia, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Asian Politics and Policy, Asian Perspective, and Routledge’s “IR Theory and Practice in Asia” Book Series. He holds an M.Litt. from the University of St. Andrews, and a PhD from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Cheng-Chwee can be contacted at cckuik@gmail.com.

Contact

cckuik@gmail.com (preferred) / kuik@ukm.edu.my

UKM Faculty
UKM Elsevier
Researchgate
Academia
Google Scholar

Academic Qualification

Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
M.Litt. International Security Studies, St. Andrews University
Bachelor of Public Administration, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)

Area of Expertise

Smaller States in International Relations, Multilateral Institutions in the Asia-Pacific, ASEAN States and the Big Powers, Malaysia’s External Policies, China’s Foreign Policy

Selected Publications

  1. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2017). “Explaining the Contradiction in China’s South China Sea Policy: Structural Drivers and Domestic Imperatives,” China: An International Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1 (February), pp. 1-24.
  2. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2016) (With Ithrana Lawrence). “Duterte’s and Najib’s China Visits and the Future of Small-State ‘Realignment’ in the Trump Era,” The Asan Forum: An Online Journal (December 14).
  3. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2016). “China’s ‘Militarization’ in the South China Sea: Three Target Audiences,” East Asian Policy, Vol. 8, No. 2 (April/June), pp. 15-24.
  4. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2016). “How Do Weaker States Hedge? Unpacking ASEAN States’ Alignment Behavior towards China,” Journal of Contemporary China, Vol. 25, No. 100, pp. 500-514.
  5. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2016). “Malaysia between the United States and China: What do Weaker States Hedge Against?” Asian Politics and Policy, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 155-177.
  6. Alice Ba, Kuik Cheng-Chwee, & Sueo Sudo (2016). “Introduction”, in Alice Ba, Kuik Cheng Chwee, and Sueo Sudo, eds., Institutionalizing East Asia: Mapping and Reconfiguring Regional Cooperation (London & New York: Routledge), pp. 1-7.
  7. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2016). “Institutionalization of Security Cooperation in East Asia”, in Alice Ba, Kuik Cheng Chwee, and Sueo Sudo, eds., Institutionalizing East Asia: Mapping and Reconfiguring Regional Cooperation (London & New York: Routledge), pp. 81-106.
  8. Alice Ba, Kuik Cheng-Chwee, & Sueo Sudo (2016). “Conclusion: Themes and Prospects”, in Alice Ba, Kuik Cheng Chwee, and Sueo Sudo, eds., Institutionalizing East Asia: Mapping and Reconfiguring Regional Cooperation (London & New York: Routledge), pp. 200-212.
  9. Kuik Cheng-Chwee and Wu Dan (2015). “Sources of China’s Assertiveness in the South China Sea”, EAI Background Brief No. 1089 (Singapore: East Asian Institute, 16 December).
  10. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “Malaysia’s Balancing Act”, The International New York Times (December 7), p. 8.
  11. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “The Elephant in the Room: Is the Emerging Third Pillar Reshaping Asian Architecture and Regional Responses?” The Asan Forum: An Online Journal (November-December).
  12. Kuik Cheng-Chwee & Gilbert Rozman (2015). “Introduction to Part 1: Light or Heavy Hedging: Positioning between China and the United States,” in Gilbert Rozman, Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies 2015, Vol. 26, (Washington, DC: Korea Economic Institute of America), pp. 1-9.
  13. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “Variations on a (Hedging) Theme: Comparing ASEAN Core States’ Alignment Behavior”, in Gilbert Rozman, Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies 2015, Vol. 26 (Washington, DC: Korea Economic Institute of America), pp. 11-26.
  14. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “Malaysia’s Relations with Major and Middle Powers”, Observatoire Asie du Sud-est (Paris: Asia Centre, Sciences Po).
  15. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “Introduction: Decomposing and Assessing South Korea’s Hedging Options”, in “Special Forum: South Korea’s Foreign Policy Options”, The Asan Forum: An Online Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3 (May-June).
  16. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “An Emerging 3rd Pillar in Asian Architecture? AIIB and Other China-led Initiatives”, Asia-Pacific Bulletin, Number 305, March 26 (Washington, DC: East-West Center).
  17. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2015). “Malaysia-China Relations: Three Enduring Themes”, in Meredith Weiss, ed., Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Malaysia (London & New York: Routledge), pp. 417-427.
  18. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2014). 《中国参与东盟主导的机制：东南亚的视角》[China’s Participation in the ASEAN-led Institutions after the U.S. Rebalancing], in Men Honghua and Pu Xiaoyu, eds., 全球精英眼中的中国战略走向 [China’s Strategic Directions in the Eyes of Global Elites] (Beijing: Renmin Publisher).
  19. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2014). “Malaysia-China Relations after MH370: Policy Change or Business as Usual?” The Asan Forum: An Online Journal, October 15.
  20. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2013). “Making Sense of Malaysia’s China Policy: Asymmetry, Proximity, and Elite’s Domestic Authority,” Chinese Journal of International Politics (Oxford University Press), Vol. 6, pp. 429-467.
  21. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2013). “Malaysia’s U.S. Policy under Najib: Structural and Domestic Sources of a Small State’s Strategy,” Asian Security, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 143-164.
  22. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2012). “Malaysia’s China Policy in the Post-Mahathir Era: A Neoclassical Realist Explanation,” RSIS Working Paper No. 244 (Rajaratnam School of International Studies).
  23. Kuik Cheng-Chwee, Nor Azizan Idris and Abd Rahim Md Nor (2012). “The China Factor in the U.S. ‘Reengagement’ with Southeast Asia: Drivers and Limits of Converged Hedging,” Asian Politics and Policy, Vol. 4, No. 3 (July), pp. 315-344.
  24. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2011). “Book Review: Ian Storey’s Southeast Asia and the Rise of China: The Search for Security,” International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 2, No. 3 (December), pp. 701-705
  25. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2011). “China’s Evolving Strategic Profile in East Asia: A Southeast Asian Perspective,” in China and East Asian Strategic Dynamics: The Shaping of a New Regional Order, edited by Mingjiang Li and Dongmin Lee (Lantham: Lexington-Rowman & Littlefield), pp. 127-149.
  26. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2010). “Analyzing Malaysia’s Changing Alignment Choice, 1971-89,” Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, Vol. 37, pp. 41-74.
  27. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2009). “Shooting Rapids in a Canoe: Singapore and Great Powers,” in Impressions of the Goh Chok Tong Years in Singapore, edited by Bridget Welsh, James Chin, Arun Mahizhnan, and Tan Tarn How (Singapore: National University of Singapore Press), pp. 156-167.
  28. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2008). “The Essence of Hedging: Malaysia and Singapore’s Response to a Rising China,” Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 30, No. 2 (August), pp. 159-185.
  29. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2008). “China’s Evolving Multilateralism in Asia: The Aussenpolitik and Innenpolitik Explanations,” in East Asian Multilateralism, edited by Kent E. Calder and Francis Fukuyama (Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press), pp. 109-142.
  30. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2005). “Multilateralism in China’s ASEAN Policy: Its Evolution, Characteristics, and Aspiration,” Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 27, No. 1 (April), pp. 102-122.
  31. Kuik Cheng-Chwee and Bridget Welsh (2005). “Brunei: Multifaceted Survival Strategies of a Small State,” in Asian Security Handbook: Terrorism and the New Security Environment, 3rd ed., edited by William M. Carpenter and David G. Wiencek (London & New York: M. E. Sharpe), pp. 56-69
  32. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2005). “China’s Participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum: The Exogenous and Endogenous Effects of International Institutions,” in China and Southeast Asia: Changing Political and Strategic Ties, edited by James K. Chin and Nicholas Thomas (Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong), pp. 141-169.
  33. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2004). 《 中国参与东盟主导的地区机制的利益分析》 [An Interest-based Analysis on China’s Participation in the ASEAN-led Regional Institutions], 世界经济与政治 [World Economics and Politics] (Beijing) No. 9 (September), pp. 53-59.
  34. Kuik Cheng-Chwee (2001). “The Ideational Sources of Chinese Foreign Policy: A Framework for Analysis,” Journal of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (Kuala Lumpur), Vol. 3, No. 2 (December), pp. 21-44.

Professional

  1. Member, Editorial Board ▪ Australian Journal of International Affairs ▪ June 2016 – Present
  2. Member, International Advisory Board ▪ Contemporary Southeast Asia ▪ March 2016 – Present
  3. Member, Editorial Board ▪ Jurnal Ketahanan Nasional ▪ February 2017 – Present
  4. Editorial Board Member ▪ Routledge “IR Theory and Practice in Asia” Book Series ▪ November 2015 – present
  5. Adjunct Lecturer ▪ Malaysian Armed Forces Defense College (MPAT), Ministry of Defense, Malaysia ▪ February 2010 – July 2012; September 2014 – present
  6. Adjunct Lecturer ▪ Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia ▪ October 2009 – July 2012; September 2014 – present
  7. Postdoctoral Research Associate ▪ Princeton-Harvard “China and the World Program” (CWP), Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University ▪ September 2013 – August 2014
  8. Associate Member ▪ Nuffield College, University of Oxford ▪ August 2012 – August 2014
  9. Visiting Research Fellow ▪ Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford ▪ August 2012 – August 2013
  10. Visiting Fellow ▪ Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta ▪ November-December 2011
  11. Visiting Scholar ▪ ASEAN Studies Center, American University, Washington, DC ▪ August 2011
  12. Visiting Scholar ▪ Southeast Asian Studies, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC ▪ June-July 2011
  13. Adjunct Lecturer ▪ Malaysian Armed Forces Defense College (MPAT), Ministry of Defense, Malaysia ▪ February 2010 – July 2012
  14. Adjunct Lecturer ▪ Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia ▪ October 2009 – July 2012
  15. Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow ▪ Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, National Library Board (NLB), Singapore ▪ April-November 2007
  16. Visiting Fellow ▪ Shanghai Institute of International Studies (SIIS) ▪ Feb-June 2003
  17. Visiting Fellow ▪ Institute of Asia Pacific Studies (IAPS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing ▪ September 2002 – February 2003

Awards

  • Newton Advanced Fellowship (British Academy) ▪ 2016-2017
  • The Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program (CWP) Postdoctoral Research Associate Fellowship ▪ 2013/2014
  • KPT-UKM Postdoctoral Fellowship Award ▪ 2012/2013
  • 2009 Michael Leifer Memorial Prize, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) ▪ 2010
  • – a biennial award established by ISEAS in memory of the late Professor Michael Leifer, for the best article published in any of the three ISEAS journals
  • William and Marie-Daniele Zartman Fellowship, Johns Hopkins SAIS ▪ 2009
  • Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation (CCKF) Doctoral Fellowship, Taiwan ▪ 2008/2009
  • Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship Award, Singapore ▪ 2007
  • SAIS Ph.D. Student Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University ▪ 2006/07 & 2007/2008
  • UKM Faculty Development (Study Leave) Award, Malaysia ▪ 2005/06
  • Fulbright Graduate Study Scholarship ▪ 2003/2004 & 2004/2005
  • ASIA Fellows Award (Asian Scholarship Foundation – Ford Foundation), Bangkok ▪ 2002/2003
  • UKM Excellent Service Award (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Terpuji), Malaysia ▪ 2002
  • British High Commissioner’s Chevening Award ▪ 1997/1998
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