Experts caution against blaming nations, call for stronger China-US collaboration

Southeast Asian experts have cautioned against singling out any country over cyber and telecom scam operations, saying doing so is inaccurate and could undermine international cooperation and trust.

"Naming any country as a perpetrator (behind the scam activities) is wrong because this is a global issue and we have to address it together," said Chheang Vannarith, director of the China-ASEAN Studies Centre at Cambodia University of Technology and Science in Phnom Penh.

The experts said China has played an active role in promoting global cooperation against scams, adding that similar cooperation between China and the United States could help strengthen social security in Southeast Asia.

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"We need to address it together and not have this blame game," Chheang said.

Transnational cyber and telecom fraud operations have seriously affected Southeast Asia and beyond. The combined annual losses from scam offenses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand were estimated at between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in 2025, according to a report released in July by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Even at a lower estimate, the figure exceeds the GDP of some Southeast Asian countries, the report said, adding that the region's criminal ecosystem has undergone a fundamental restructuring.

Once fragmented, the locally rooted syndicates have merged into a transnational and technology-driven criminal economy, sophisticated enough to outpace conventional law enforcement and threaten regional stability and development, as well as security beyond the region.

"The political will, cooperation and coordination of all nations concerned are required to address (cyber and telecom fraud)," said a spokesperson from the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies.

Noting that Myanmar has destroyed more than 600 scam-related buildings in recent years, the spokesperson said China's contribution had been significant and that continued cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was also important.

"Myanmar-China cooperation against cyber and telecom fraud should move toward a more comprehensive, intelligence-led and preventive approach," the spokesperson said, adding that new approaches and mechanisms are needed as scam syndicates and operational hubs are moving from well-known centers to cities across Myanmar.

The spokesperson said the institute hopes to see strengthened law-enforcement cooperation in border areas and close security cooperation between the two countries on illicit drug and arms smuggling.

Sithixay Xayavong, rector of Savannakhet University in Laos, said Southeast Asian governments have taken the problem seriously and that joint crackdowns with China have been highly effective.

In recent years, China has expanded cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, to crack down on fraud-related groups. On Sept 10, Beijing initiated an international alliance to combat cyber and telecom fraud, with 46 founding members and 34 observer countries.

Sithixay said it is inappropriate to link the criminal activities of decentralized, transnational syndicates to any state or local government.

"Scam activities have already affected normal tourism and economic exchanges between China and Southeast Asian countries," he said.

Negative media reports have also made many travelers wary of visiting Southeast Asia, making it necessary to strengthen anti-scam cooperation and public awareness efforts, he said.

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As scam compounds can quickly move across borders following crackdowns, ASEAN countries must establish national anti-scam response centers, said Stephen Olson, a visiting senior fellow with the Regional Economic Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Anti-corruption efforts will also be needed during the process, Olson said. "The interests of China and the US are aligned on this issue," he said, adding that he hopes combating scams could become an area of constructive cooperation between the two countries, but challenges remain given the sensitive and strategic nature of the tools needed, such as data access and surveillance.

Chheang, from Phnom Penh, said that as Cambodia hosts the International Conference on Combating Online Scams on Wednesday and Thursday, the event could provide a platform to engage both China and the US and build a bridge of trust and cooperation rather than division.

Contact the writers at kelly@chinadailyapac.com