Abstract
This chapter postulates that in East Asia, China easily serves in many cases for some countries as a convenient pretext for those states to justify a fortification of military build-up in the region. The work also emphasizes the power relations between China and its neighbours in a context where the US is keen to refocus on Asia-Pacific. One of the main arguments is that China’s approach to retain a foothold in its region has been to develop closer ties with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) even as relations with specific ASEAN nations have varied. The chapter also shows how China’s regional ambitions are rendered complicated by the alliance especially between Japan and the US. The cost of non-cooperation between Japan and China is very high for actors with a stake in East Asia.
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Notes
- 1.
On other hand, we see signs of the adjustment of the ASEAN Way. For example, since the new century coping with terrorism has led to some erosion of the non-interference norm, because transnational cooperation is essential to ensuring effective combating of terrorist groups across national borders. Furthermore, in November 2007, ASEAN passed the new Charter which signals movement beyond sovereignty protection to economic, political-security and socio-cultural communities by 2020. And the new Charter also commits its signatories to democracy (for the first time) and human rights.
- 2.
Since 2009, ASEAN got closer to the US to balance the rising power and influence of China.
- 3.
Chinese ministry of foreign affairs expressed this will to the US government privately in 2001, after the crisis to the bilateral relations caused by the incident of EP-3, see David Shambaugh (2004).
- 4.
The Bush administration announced in September 2008 that the US was going to launch negotiations to join ‘the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership’, a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement concluded by Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. In December 2009, the Obama administration ‘announced its intention to enter into a regional Asia-Pacific trade agreement called the TPP, with the objective of shaping a high-standard, broad-based regional agreement.’ See Office of the United States Trade Representative, ‘United States to Negotiate Participation in Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership,’ September 2008. Available at: http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/factsheets/2008/asset_upload_file660_15116.pdf; http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/fact-sheets/2009/december/tpp-statements-and-actions-date
- 5.
Prof. Chung-in Moon’s remark at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2014, presiding the session ‘Revival of Geopolitics in East Asia: Will History of Power Conflict Repeat?’ May 30th, 2014.
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Wang, Y. (2016). Complexity of the Relations Among Leading States and Following States: The Case of East Asian Regional Integration. In: Kingah, S., Quiliconi, C. (eds) Global and Regional Leadership of BRICS Countries. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22972-0_11
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