This project is the second part of a larger project studying European powers’ security interests in the Indo-Pacific with focus on Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. In this part of the project, I will look at Southeast Asian perspectives and perceptions about European growing security interests and presence in Asia. The study aims to unravel regional perceptions and concerns, on the one hand, related to European powers entering the increasingly congested and contested maritime space in the South China Sea and, on the other hand, European powers’ ability to contribute to regional security and capacity building.