Announced during a 2021 summit dialogue between China and the inter-governmental Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the “Five Major Homes” (五大家园) concept lays out Xi Jinping’s vision for relations with the 10 member states in the region along five key aspects — peace (和平), tranquility (安宁), prosperity (繁荣), beauty (美丽), friendship (友好). These correspond to 1. defense and security; 2. conflict management (around regional hot issues like territorial disputes); 3. economic development and modernization; 4. environmental protection and sustainability; and 5. cultural exchange and people-to-people engagement.
While this list of issues encompasses many points of contention — including territorial disputes and oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea, and environmental questions over China’s use of water resources in the Mekong region — their softer treatment through the metaphor of “home” seeks to downplay those aspects of China’s diplomacy that might seem coercive to its southern neighbors.
The basic idea behind the “Five Major Homes” concept is to stress the idea of historic and geographic closeness between China and Southeast Asia. It envisions a “peaceful home” (和平家园) and (at least in principle) emphasizes dialogue over confrontation. In its more concrete aspects, the concept involves, for example, creating a “secure home” (安宁家园) through health security initiatives such as vaccine diplomacy; and making a more “prosperous home” (繁荣家园) by advancing economic integration across the region through economic development programs like the Belt and Road Initiative.
In a 2023 article, the CCP’s official People’s Daily (人民日报) framed the “Five Homes” policy as evidence of China’s benevolent leadership in the region, emphasizing the mutual benefits of this specific relationship with China. It described the concept as being about “good neighbors, good friends, good partners” (好邻居、好朋友、好伙伴).
When ascertaining the concrete meanings of seemingly congenial phrases like these, it is important to place CCP discourse in context. China’s official notion of “friendship” under the CCP, for example, has typically been narrowly understood as actions and positions that support the Chinese party-state and its interests — implying assent by foreign countries and “friends” to China’s understanding of its core interests.
The “Five Major Homes” concept was widely used during Xi Jinping’s April 2025 tour of Southeast Asia, which included visits to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. On April 12, the People’s Daily framed Xi’s trips as a showcase for China’s new neighborhood diplomacy, which focuses on creating “the ‘Five Major Homes’ of peace, security, prosperity, beauty, and friendship.” The paper positioned the tour as “an important practice of China’s sincere, friendly, mutually beneficial and inclusive neighborhood diplomacy,” emphasizing that it would “write a new chapter of China working hand-in-hand with neighboring countries to build a community with a shared future and jointly march toward modernization.”
