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Paper long abstract

This article examines the distinctive peacebuilding practices of China and Japan in Timor-Leste and the Philippines. Timor-Leste’s path to self-determination from Indonesia, culminating in independence in 2002, supported by seven United Nations missions, and the formation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Philippines) following the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro serve as the two case studies. The article explores facets of peacebuilding not covered by the broader peacebuilding literature on the Philippines and Timor-Leste by comparing and contrasting the peacebuilding efforts of China and Japan. The article argues that Japan consistently applies uniform peacebuilding practices in the Philippines and Timor-Leste, while being more embedded in the former. In contrast, China engages in peacebuilding practices when windows of opportunity emerge. By analysing and providing a comprehensive understanding of alternative peacebuilding dynamics in Southeast Asia, based on extensive fieldwork involving four rounds of visits and over 100 interviews in Dili, Manila and Cotabato City, the article contributes to the burgeoning literature on non-Western peacebuilding and the changing global order of peacebuilding.