The "One Belt, One Road" initiative increasingly faces political risks and fluctuations in foreign policy among Southeast Asian countries, such as changes in ruling elites, rising anti-Chinese sentiments, competition from external players, and challenges in implementing large-scale infrastructure agreements. In such conditions, traditional forms of interstate diplomacy prove to be insufficiently flexible and responsive to ensure the sustainability of long-term projects. This creates an objective need for alternative channels of influence, among which the party diplomacy of the CPC acts as a strategic tool for "vertical" coordination with key political actors in the region – ruling parties, parliamentary factions, and influential political elites. The aim of the study is to identify the strategic priorities, mechanisms, and effectiveness of China's party interaction in Southeast Asia, as well as to assess its role in minimizing political risks for OBOR projects. The methodological foundation consists of an analysis of official documents from the Communist Party of China, case studies of cooperation with political parties in ASEAN countries, as well as a comparative assessment of declared objectives and actual achievements. As the results of the conducted research show, party diplomacy contributes to the transformation of economic projects into sustainable political alliances, ensuring the continuity of China's strategy in the region. Regular inter-party contacts, joint forums, and exchanges of experience between party delegations lay the groundwork for long-term interaction and minimize the risks of interrupting infrastructure initiatives in conditions of political instability and changes in power. At the same time, the potential of party diplomacy is constrained by the internal political dynamics of the countries in the region, differences in institutional systems, and the desire of states to balance between major powers. Nevertheless, it is precisely these challenges that drive the improvement of dialogue formats: developing adaptive models of cooperation capable of addressing current issues – from coordinating infrastructure programs to countering regional security threats and stimulating sustainable economic growth.
Mikhail Kuznetsov (Sun,) studied this question.