BANGKOK, HANOI — Tana-wat, 34, an office worker who works in central Bangkok, starts his morning by turning on his BYD Atto 3, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV). On his way to work, he stops for a 20-baht ($0.60) lemonade at Mixue, a low-cost beverage chain from China. When he has a spare moment, he scrolls through TikTok, a Chinese short-form video platform, and clicks links at the bottom of videos to shop on TikTok Shop. His daily routine is surrounded by Chinese brands, known colloquially as "C-brands." Just a few years ago, C-brands were synonymous with “cheap” in Thailand. The picture has now changed dramatically. Their reach has expanded from inexpensive food and beverages to high-end fashion and cutting-edge electric vehicles. Chinese companies’ expansion into Southeast Asia has moved beyond large-scale infrastructure investment and manufacturing and into consumers’ everyday lives. C-brands on every floor of luxury malls At Iconsiam, one of Bangkok’s most upscale shopping malls, C-brands are found on virtually every floor. Among them are Urban Revivo, a fashion brand; Pop