China is rated the most influential economic player in South-east Asia, although it is the United States that has ruled the roost as the region’s top investor for decades. Japan can claim neither of the two titles, but it is no lightweight. It is consistently perceived as the most trusted partner in the region. India, despite New Delhi’s attempted pivot through its Act East policy, barely creates a ripple. Professor Joseph Liow Chin Yong, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University and Research Adviser at RSIS said India’s refusal to “put skin in the game” had been a source of frustration for South-east Asia. Prof Liow also pointed out that while Chinese investments in the region were growing, one of the single largest sectors was real estate, not particularly effective in job creation.