In Chapter 4, I analyzed the priorities of China as seen in the speeches from President Xi Jinping's first eighteen months in office. In these speeches and elsewhere, images of China as a flourishing civilization, a peaceful and progressive country, and a moral example for international politics are frequently expressed by Chinese leaders in reference to international relations. However, the important question of how the outside world perceives China also needs to be asked. Just as China's view of the world is reflected in its foreign policy actions and international behavior, how other countries react and respond to China provides important insights into how China is perceived and, more crucially, whether its political worldview and thinking about the proper form of the global order are finding international acceptance. This chapter discusses the view of China from elite perspectives in Vietnam and Indonesia, and Chapter 7 addresses the same in Singapore. Looking at the case studies not only allows me to understand how other countries interpret China's political behavior, but also whether they consider China to be exceptional – that is, different and superior to the West in terms of Beijing's claim to global leadership.

In this chapter I examine how Vietnam and Indonesia perceive China in reference to their political relations, particularly focusing on the situation of President Xi's regime from 2013 onwards. Vietnam's proximity to (and territorial disputes with) China means that it is highly sensitive to Chinese actions within its periphery.