Countering "Chinese Imperialism": Sinophobia and Border Protection in the Dutch East Indies

“Countering ‘Chinese Imperialism’” examines the colonial policies that the Dutch and British empires used to counter the perceived danger of “Chinese imperialism,” which was a new term that Dutch officials in the 1920s used to describe China’s intended expansion into colonial Southeast Asia. Archival sources show that colonial anxiety escalated when Guomindang-guided schools educating the overseas Chinese began to promulgate the idea that Southeast Asia should be ruled by Chinese people. This essay examines the border and educational policies that colonial authorities created to block the traffic between China and the Chinese in Dutch and British dominions.earing that imperialist thinking would end Dutch rule in Southeast Asia.