208. ASEAN'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA
208.
Panel Title : ASEAN'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA
Convener : Mui Pong Goh
Chair : Lee Poh Ping
Discussant : Lee Poh Ping
Panel Abstract :
The main theme of the panel is to explore the different dimensions of the ASEAN-China relations using different theoretical approaches. Four substantive papers have been written by a mix of younger and more senior scholars drawn from different institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent years, there has been focus on Chinas growing economic and political clout in the East Asian region. Rarely has this phenomenon of Chinas rise been seen in more theoretical terms of what kind of leadership China would exercise and what kind of follower ASEAN might be. This issue is covered by the first paper. The second paper looks at the ASEAN-China relationship in a particular cooperation scheme- the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The paper asks if the current status quo in the GMS is the result of intensified inter-governmental co-operation and transactions (an emerging security community in the sense of Karl W. Deutschs concept) or rather due to Chinas pre-eminent position in the subregion (hegemonic stability). The third and fourth papers focus more on ASEAN. The third paper critically examines the notion that the ASEAN states are hedging rather than either balancing or bandwagoning with China. How does a hedging strategy look like? The paper clarifies conceptually the range of policy components a hedging strategy comprises of and what factors influence the adoption of the particular policy component. The last paper examines how the ASEAN forms consensus among its members in order to negotiate with external partners. How does ASEAN foster agreement among its members and to what extent do ASEAN members negotiate together as a cohesive bloc vis-a-vis external partners? Using the case of the ASEAN-China Free Trade (ACFTA), the paper explores the degree of success ASEAN members have, as a coalition, in negotiating with China. Together these four papers capture some of the most important aspects of the ASEAN-China relations, with wider theoretical consequences.
Participants :
Alice Ba
Paper Title : Leading and Following in the ASEAN-China Relations
Abstract :
This paper investigates Chinas and ASEAN states ongoing efforts to renegotiate an evolving relationship. Recent Chinese policies suggest that Beijing is projecting itself as a regional leader; however, much will depend on Chinas credibility vis-a-vis the ASEAN states. In other words, such an aspiration depends on Chinas ability to gain the trust of would-be followers, namely, the ASEAN states. By focusing on recent policies and interactive dynamics, this paper aims to shed additional light on both the current state of China-ASEAN relations, as well as questions of leadership and followership and how such questions will affect the shape and content of a still evolving regionalism.
Jörn Dosch
Paper Title : China and Southeast Asia in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS):
Hegemonic Stability or Security Community?
Abstract :
The end of the Cold War terminated the existence of international structures, both in terms of power and ideology, which had prevented neighbouring states from engaging in meaningful cross-border cooperation and the joint management of common resources. The Mekong Valley is a case in point. The Mekong River is the world's twelfth largest river and Southeast Asia's largest waterway. After some failed attempts at co-operation the process gained momentum in 1992 when, with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the six riparian states of the Mekong river entered into a program of formalised subregional cooperation: the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Key goals of the GMS are infrastructure building (roads, bridges, hydropower dams), poverty reduction, environmental protection, disaster prevention. The GMS is often presented as one of the most dynamic sub-regional cooperation schemes in the world that is said to have resulted in peaceful and stable relations between former Cold War adversaries, such as China and Vietnam. Assuming that the international relations among the six GMS states have indeed become more stable, transparent and predictable, the paper asks as to whether the current status quo is really the result of intensified inter-governmental co-operation and transactions (an emerging security community in the sense of Karl W. Deutsch's concept) or rather due to China's pre-eminent position in the subregion (hegemonic stability).
Cheng-Chwee Kuik
Paper Title : Essence Of Hedging Strategy: Explaining Southeast Asian Responses To The
Rising China
Abstract :
Recent international relations (IR) scholarship has used the term "hedging" to describe state strategy that bets on multiple policy options simultaneously in order to minimize and offset potential risks amidst strategic uncertainty. In the case of Southeast Asian states' hedging strategy vis-à-vis China, existing literature holds that it is made up of two major parts: engagement and soft balancing. This study argues that such treatment is analytically inadequate to demonstrate the nuanced differences that exist between individual China policies. By deconstructing the strategy into five policy components, the article attempts to explain how and why different ASEAN states have responded to the rising power in a seemingly similar but importantly distinct manner.
Mui Pong Goh
Paper Title : How does ASEAN matter? Decision Making in the Context of the ASEAN-China
FTA
Abstract :
Negotiating the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has allowed both ASEAN and China to engage each other over a sustained period of time on a particular issue area. The ACFTA is also significant in terms of being the first FTA that ASEAN is pursuing as a regional organisation. This paper focuses on the formation of ASEAN responses to China in the initial period of negotiations of the ACFTA during 2001-2004. The paper also investigates how ASEAN members negotiate internally with one another before negotiating with an external partner and the extent to which the ASEAN Secretariat and the other ASEAN-related institutions (particularly the business community) were instrumental in coming to an agreement on various aspects of the ACFTA. The paper suggests that while the ASEAN members have been successful in agreeing to negotiate as a group, they have not always been as successful in obtaining leverage over their negotiating partner.
