Sino‑ASEAN Relations in the Early Twenty‑first Century

Abstract

********** This article examines Sino-ASEAN relations in the early twenty-first century through a study of the role of ASEAN and China in their respective foreign policy frameworks. The interests of the United States and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region and how they have influenced regional co-operation and conflicts will be analysed. China's territorial disputes with the ASEAN states, the Taiwan issue, economic co-operation, and the evolution of regional international organizations are among the major issues examined. Sino-American strategic competition has increased ASEAN's weight in China's foreign policy. The Chinese leadership is worried about the emergence of a new U.S .-led Asian security alliance, and it appreciates the ASEAN states' reluctance to get involved, despite their eagerness to retain a substantial American military presence in the region. Hence, the bargaining power of the ASEAN states has been increased in their dealings with China. Introduction At the end of the Cold War, major changes took place in Southeast Asia. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, confrontation between alliances disappeared in the region, and this was accompanied by the settlement of the Cambodian issue. The ASEAN states were then able to concentrate on economic development and regional economic integration. Attempts had also been made to establish regional security institutions which could play a significant role in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian financial crisis was certainly a major setback to the ASEAN states. It not only exposed their economic structural problems, but also led to political instability in some of those states. As a result, ASEAN has been weakened, and member states such as Indonesia and Malaysia now tend to look inwards because of domestic political problems. Singapore's pursuit of bilateral free trade agreements certainly reflects a decline in confidence in ASEAN's ability to push for regional economic integration. China should be satisfied with its achievements in its relations with ASEAN during the previous decade. In August 1990, China restored its diplomatic ties with Indonesia. This was followed by the establishment of diplomatic relations with Singapore in October of the same year, and with Brunei in September 1991. Two months later, China normalized party-to-party relations as well as state-to-state relations with Vietnam. In July 1991, Chinese Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, attended the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) as China had initiated a dialogue with the regional grouping; subsequently, in July 1996, China became a full dialogue partner of ASEAN. Despite the Chinese leadership's initial hesitation, China joined the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1994, and in the following year started regular senior officials meetings with the ASEAN states at the deputy foreign minister level. Finally, in December 1997, a summit meeting was held between the then nine ASEAN members, on the one hand, and China, Japan, and South Korea, on the other, as well as between the ASEAN states and China. In the joint statement released after the latter summit, it was announced that the two sides had established a partnership of good-neighbourliness and mutual trust. Both parties pledged to resolve their differences and disputes through peaceful means, and not to allow existing differences to obstruct the development of friendly and co-operative relat ions between them. ASEAN's Role in the Chinese Foreign Policy Framework In an era of economic reforms and its opening up to the external world, China wants to secure a peaceful international environment to concentrate on economic development. Its strategy in the Asia-Pacific region has been consistent: to stabilize China's periphery, and treat the region as China's base. Chinese leaders accept that regional co-operation is an irreversible trend in global economic development and in the evolution of the contemporary international power configuration. …