This IQ edition contains articles analyzing a new era in the Asia Pacific region with China's positions as the potential new hegemony in regional, political and economic landscape. The first article shows a shift in media perception in reporting conflict in the South China Sea towards a more assertive manner. The next article discusses the challenges that East Asia's regional economies in the RCEP framework must deal to foster better cooperation. The latest article is the official speech from the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to ASEAN Member States which provides insights on what can be done to encourage synergy with the Master Plan on ASEAN Conectivity 2025, enchancing people-to-people links, to further promoting regional integration.