Modern Economics & Management Forum

As an important "bridge and link" connecting China and Southeast Asian countries, the cultural identity of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia plays a key role in fields such as production capacity cooperation, unimpeded trade, and people-to-people bonds under the Belt and Road Initiative. Focusing on the cultural identity of this group, this paper systematically sorts out the formation background and manifestations of their cultural identity through literature research, case analysis, and cross-cultural comparison methods. It further conducts an in-depth analysis of the dual impacts of cultural identity on their participation in the Belt and Road construction — on one hand, it reduces cooperation costs and promotes project implementation through language mutual understanding, value alignment, and kinship networks; on the other hand, issues such as "blurred cultural identity" and "intensified localization tendency" among some groups restrict the depth of participation. Based on this, the paper puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to stimulate the enthusiasm of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to participate in the Belt and Road construction from the perspectives of strengthening the construction of cultural exchange platforms, optimizing the policy support system, and promoting the cultural inheritance of the new generation of overseas Chinese. It aims to provide theoretical reference and practical paths for deepening pragmatic cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries and building a closer community with a shared future.