Under the ASEAN-China Study Programme launched in 2003, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) organized the ASEAN-China Forum: Realities and Prospects on 23–24 June 2004. From this forum, a book entitled ASEAN-China Relations: Realities and Prospects edited by Saw Swee- Hock, Sheng Lijun and Chin Kin Wah was published by ISEAS in the following year to provide a more permanent source of valuable information for a wider audience.

Under the same Programme, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and the East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University of Singapore organized the Conference on Southeast Asian Studies in China: Challenges and Prospects on 12–14 January 2006. The three-day conference was divided into two parts: the first was devoted to papers written and presented in English and the second to papers written in Chinese and presented in Mandarin. This was meant to facilitate the gathering of a larger group of Chinese scholars, including those conversant in Chinese but not English. The chapters incorporated in this book consist of those papers written in English and subsequently revised for publication in this book.

In recognition of the dominant political and economic presence of China in Southeast Asia, the conference was designed to promote a better understanding among the peoples of the two regions. Beyond superficial contacts through official visits, business and tours, people from both sides still have large gaps of knowledge about each other. Scholars and academics from both sides have an important role to play in terms of creating greater awareness of each other through research, workshops, and conferences. Whilst many universities and research institutes in the ASEAN region are conducting studies on various aspects of China, it is equally important to promote a better understanding of Southeast Asia among the people and the Government of China. The book traces the development of Southeast Asian Studies in China, discusses the current status of these studies, examines the problems encountered in the pursuit of these studies, and attempts to evaluate their prospects in the years ahead.

We would like to thank the chapter writers for their excellent cooperation, Professor Wang Gungwu, Chairman of EAI, and Mr K. Kesavapany, Director of ISEAS, for their encouragement in the organization of the conference and the publication of the book, and Mrs Triena Ong, Managing Editor at ISEAS, for overseeing the expeditious publication of the book.