This idea came to me a while ago. For each Asian country there is a European one that resembles it in many ways. I soon settled on the pairs with just a few corrections here and there. Number of similarities I could name for them is surprisingly high. I will go one after another.
France and China
France if Europe's analogue of China. Just like Chinese, French think very highly of themselves. They each believe they have best language, culture, fashion, cuisine, history and so on. Some of their neighbors do admire them but most instead make fun of them. UK, Belgium and Russia admire France. Korea and Vietnam admire China. In constant Americans and Phillipines make fun of both.
Both France and China used to be much more powerful and influential in the past. In 17th and 18th century French language was used as international, much like English nowadays. Chinese characters were used in Vietnam and Korea, but both countries now switched to other characters. Both countries are angry about such loss if influence and importance.
They both like to export their culture everywhere they can. Chinse sinizied Manchurians and now try to sinizy Tibetans as well. Korea and to lesser extend Japan also learn a lot from Chinese culture. French Frenchified their colonies.
Both have many different dishes, uniquely associated with them. Some of this food is used derogatorily against them: French people eat frogs and Chinese eat cicadas. Most of their food however is praised, there are too many to list and you need to be expert to understand it all. There are plenty of French and Chinese restaurants across the globe.
Chinese want to convert Tibetans and Uyghurs into being more like Han Chinese. France wants to convert Britons and Alsatians into being more French.
Both have a separatist island that causes them trouble. Corsica wants to be independent from France and Taiwan from China. Both islands believe they are different from their metropoly while metropoly believes they are the same.
Both have many dialects in the south of the country, that are very different from standard language, yet government in both countries want all of them use standard lang d oil French and Mandarin respectively.
Taiwan and Corsica
Both want to be independent of their big and influential metropoly, that refuses to let them go.
Brittany and Tibet
Both are culturally distinct region of a bigger country (France and China respectively). Both truggle to maintain their distinct culture against desire of Paris and Beijing to eradicate it and make them as much of an ordinary French or Han Chinese respectively.
Vietnam and Spain
Both Spain and Vietnam conquered south of their respective countries and converted them into their religion and culture. Both however appropriated some of the traditions of conquered south that often define them from their neighbors.
Both have complicated love/hate relationships with their northern neighbor, China and France respectively.
Both like to eat strange food, where they put everything in one big dish. It's called paella in Spain and Pho in Vietnam. The difference is that paella is dry, and pho is a soup.
Both like to borrow cultures and traditions from others and assimilate them into their country.
Spanish has strange and dangerous traditions like corrida, running with the bulls and building human pyramid. Vietnamese sleep on scooters and cross their roads while dodging ongoing traffic, make coffee out of beans fermented in stomachs on animals.
Vietnamese are the most Christian people in Asia and Spanish in Europe.
Cambodia and Greece
Both Cambodia and Greece used to be very big and important back in the days. For both countries these times are long in the past. Both countries are currently poor and associated with misery rather than glory.
Now they take pride in their history and ruins of their once glorious architecture. Greeks have Acropolis, many Hellenic temples and 3 000 years old ruins. Khmer have Ankor Wat, that they depict on every iteration of their flag, even the ones used by Khmer Rouge.
Greece is infamous for debt crisis and associated protests and Cambodia because of Khmer Rouge.
Indonesia and Italy
Both are much bigger and more important than initially apparent. Indonesia is one of the most populous countries in the world and Italy one of the most powerful economies.
Both have many regions and islands, some with very distinct cultures and dialects. Both have separatism issue in parts of the country. Italy has very pronounced north/south divide and Indonesia east/west one instead.
Both are very diverse. Native Italians range blonde and blue-eyed people to dark skinned middle eastern looking people. Indonesians also range from Asian to black and everything in between.
Both have famous resort destinations. Bali for Indonesia and Adriatic coast for Italy.
Malasia and Austria
Both exist because of geopolitical reasons rather than real cultural differences from its neighbors. Malasia is basically British Indonesia and Austria is just southern Germany. Both exist as separate countries because UK wanted it this way.
Both have red stripes on flag.
Singapore and Switzerland
Both are liked by business communities, who use both countries as example of success stories.
Both are rather rich due to their reputation and not resources.
Both play important international roles in business and diplomacy.
Both have mixture of ethnicities.
Brunei and Luxembourg
Both are very small but very rich countries, whose prosperity is based on natural resources: oil for Brunei and steel for Luxembourg.
Myanmar and Yugoslavia
Both once used to be touted as examples of peaceful co-existence between diverse ethnic groups. Both have since then collapsed into inter-ethnic struggle and war. Yugoslavia have already divided into 7 different nations. Myanmar is still in process of getting there.
Both consist of several distinct ethnic and religious groups and do not see each other as single nation and have much stronger loyalty to their own ethnicity than to the country.
Both lacked democracy in the past and history of military keeping the country together.
Laos and Albania
Both are small and obscure countries that are frequently forgotten when people talk about the regions.
Both have many bunkers and mines left since war times in the past.
Both are much more isolated compared to their neighbors.
Albanians are very distinct from their neighbors and more ancient than their neighbors. Lao too seemed to be more traditional compared to its neighbors.
Thailand and Portugal
Portugal was first to explore Asia for Europe, Thailand was first to keep contact with Europeans and trade productively. Both are good at understanding other cultures and take advantage of their international relationships.
Both are often looked down by others as poor and base. Both secretly have their shit in order. Portugal still keeps control of many of the best islands across the globe that they discovered first. Thailand was never colonized and have robust and stable economy.
Both have good beaches and are famous as vacation destinations.
Korea and Belgium
Both countries divided in two parts both culturally and geographically. Belgium is half Dutch half French. Korea half Chinese half Japanese. Belgium is administered as federation with two main entities. Korea literally divided into two countries, one under Chinese and other under Western influence. Korea aspires to reunite and Belgium to split.
Both located in geographically precarious place that made them into buffer state. Belgium was occupied by Germans twice and Korea by Japanese.
Japan and Sweden
Both are crafty and ingenious people. Both are good with electronics and engineering. Swedes had Ericsson phones, several car brands and even many weapon manufactories. Japan has many electronics and car making companies as well.
Both often create original and unorthodox solutions to problems. Swedes has Ikea, that makes convenient furniture. Japanese invented bullet train, bidet toilets and many more.
Both like to see themselves as military powers and pride their warrior legacies. Swedes has Viking past as well as Gustavus Adolfus and Carolus Rex with his Carolinians. Japanese has samurai past as well as famous conquerors such as Oda Nobunaga.
Both countries are often viewed as weak and gay by outsiders.
Mongolia and Denmark-Norway Vikings
Both are the scary barbarian invaders from the north for their respective region. Norwegian (Scandinavian) Vikings raided and sometimes conquered many parts of Europe, including modern Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Ireland, parts of England and France and even as far as Sicily. Mongols conquered so much; they once had the biggest empire in history, their empire included China, Korea, central Asia and Persia.
Vikings and Mongols were the first Asians and Europeans who met, but they did not kept contact, so information did not spread like when Portuguese and Thai met. Mongols defeated Vikings but Vikings managed to keep control of their principalities in exchange for tribute.
Later Swedes defeated Danes and Japanese Mongols.
Nowadays both Mongolia and Norway are one of the most scarcely populated countries in very densely populated regions. Both also make most of their money off mining.
USA and Philippines
Both are somewhat strange outlying elements that are not like the rest. Philippines are very unusual for Asians and Americans unusual for Westerners.
Both practice a lot of culture appropriation. Philippines borrow from both of their former colonial overlords: Spain and the US. Even Philippine national flag displays symbols of these nations. Americans borrow from Spanish and well as Native Americans. American state level flags also often display native American or Spanish symbols. Six flags entertainment park as well. Philippines have American and Spanish sound city names; the US have native American and Spanish city names.
Both is somewhat of a culture and ethnicity melting pot. Philippines are mixture of Asians, Spanish and island ethnicities that look tanned. Americans are increasingly a mixture of black, white and Hispanic, who also look tanned.
Europeans and other White people often find it hard to understand Americans and I think Asians would also find it hard to understand Philippinos.
Philippines like to mock China and Americans instead mock France (European China).
Both the US and Philippines are multireligious.
UK and Central Asia
That one is surprising, but they have more in common than initially apparent.
Both have tendency of building large but short-lived empires out of regions that little in common with each other. UK had Angevin empire of parts of England and France and later famous British Empire of 19th century. Timur the Conqueror from modern Central Asia once controlled an empire consisting of Persia, middle east, Afghanistan in addition to his native Central Asia.
Both areas have a peculiar love for India. Descendants of Timur the conqueror eventually settled in Agra, close to current Indian capital Delhi and kept it for many years, ruling over India, even if they lost other parts of their empire. They were finally ousted from there by the British in 1857, who liked to call India a Jewel in the Crown of British Empire. They even created a title of Emperor of India and held coronations in Delhi for its Kings as Emperors of India.
Both Central Asia and UK has iconic tall hats, made of fur, that are easily recognizable. As well as many other peculiar local attires. Both have simple but iconic food and rituals connected with it, that is not necessary loved elsewhere. Fish and Chips as well as bacon for UK and Plav for Central Asia.
Central Asia consists of 5 sovereign nations and UK of 4 constituent countries, but Cornwall like to claim being a contru as well. In both cases locals have understand differences between them well and outsiders think they all are the same. In both cases one of these countries is much more populated than the rest: Egland and Uzbekistan, but others compensate for it with more natural resources.
In both cases each country has one dominant color associated with them: western most Turkmenistan and Ireland are green, northern most Scotland and Kazakhstan are blue, Kyrgyzstan and England are red.
Both areas have lost of ancient architecture that they like to preserve.
Finally, both have love for Beatles and
have monuments for the band.
India and Turkey
Both locations are very ancient civilizations that existed for many centuries with lots of ancient forts palaces and so on.
Both are loved by various conquerors who often stayed in the area for good. Turks were nomads who settled current in modern Turkey over the course of several centuries gradually taking over everything from the Byzantines who in turn displaced Diadochi of Alexander the Great. India likely went through several similar events: British displaced Descendants of Timur the Conqueror who likely displaced Diadochi of Alexander the Great or someone who took over from them.
Both are somewhat ethnically mixed of the original inhabitants and those who came there later.
Iran and Russia
Both are often viewed as scary, backward, militaristic and isolated countries by outsiders. Both are actually a lot nerdier and more cultural than initially apparent. Both honor great poets and build them statues in major cities. Both used to be good with science.
Both consist of one dominant ethnicity that makes up majority of country population and carries its core culture and language as well as many distinct smaller ethnicities who have their own local languages but also learn either Russian or Farsi to live in the country.
Both have long history of rise and fall of different empires and regularly changing borders. Both are very atypical entities for the current era of nation states, that do not function like a typical nation state due to absence of nationhood feeling in the population.
Iraq and Ukraine
Both are located on formerly prosperous area of ancient civilization. Kievan Rus for Ukraine, Sumeria and Babylonia and many more for Iraq.
Both have major rivers that define them: Tigris and Euphrates for Iraq, Dnipro and to lesser extend Southern Buh for Ukraine.
Both used to be a center of their respective region and with the biggest and most prosperous cities. Both later lost this status to their neighbors.
Both currently poor and have bitterly divided population. Shia and Sunnis in Iraq, Pro-Europe and Pro-Russian in Ukraine. These groups often change each other in power, and each tries to change their country geo-political orientation.
Both also have a smaller ethnically distinct third group that caught in the middle of this struggle, Kurds in Iraq and Crimean Tatars in Ukraine.
In Ukraine Russia already annexed many pro-Russian areas, leaving the rest of the country increasingly pro-European. In Iraq things are still in a flux.
Manchuria and Franks (Germany)
Both used to be an area divided into smaller tribal states, each ruled by its own ruler. Both united into one entity at later stage.
At one point in history Machus conquered China and settled there as new Emperor and ruling class. Germans (Franks) similarly conquered modern day France and settled there as new ruling class. Both groups later assimilated into the culture their new home, abandoning their original culture.
The biggest difference is that Germany still exists as its own nation, but Manchuria does not. There is a cultural area in Germany, called Franconia, where Franks who conquered France and later assimilated there originally came from.
