ASEAN-China Relations: Realities and Prospects

13. Evolving Security Environment in Southeast Asia: A Chinese Assessment

Evolving Security Environment in Southeast Asia: A Chinese Assessment 175 13 Evolving Security Environment in Southeast Asia: A Chinese Assessment Han Feng Southeast Asia has been in the process of a comprehensive integration while China, as a regional emerging power, is gradually getting into the international community. Looking around China, Southeast Asia is the most important area for China both at the regional level and bilateral level while other directions are mainly its relations with big powers. And security in Southeast Asia and its changes are eventually becoming more and more influential for China. This chapter evaluates the development of security in Southeast Asia as China becomes more deeply involved and actively integrated into the region. ASEAN DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY During the establishment of ASEAN, the Southeast Asian nations faced great challenges. Since becoming independent, they found it was impossible to deal with the political conflicts at home and in the region only through unilateral or bilateral management and coordination. Some of the conflicts were very serious with complicated backgrounds. Meanwhile, the Cold War made the big powers dominant in Southeast Asia and they were based upon 13 ASEAN-China Relations Ch 13 5/8/05, 9:04 AM 175 176 Han Feng their own global interests rather than the Southeast Asian regional interests. Therefore, the Southeast Asian nations shared the common desire for regional cooperation in the 1960s when regionalism was on the rise.1 However, ASEAN was established when the big powers were readjusting their relations in Southeast Asia. The situation made the newly established ASEAN realize that dealing with relations with the big powers was the main task since it concerned ASEAN’s existence and development.2 Since the regional contradictions were far beyond the coordinating capacity of the newly-born ASEAN in term of their complexity and farreaching impact, simply wiping out the big powers’ presence in the region was obviously not realistic because the geopolitical situation, and the small nations’ worries about their survival made it impossible for the Southeast Asian nations to have a common policy towards the outside powers, and many nations continued to strengthen their security relations with the different big powers. The first time that ASEAN put forward a policy towards big powers may be the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) in 1971.3 Though it was weak, it clearly expressed the hope, requirement and way to have a new relation with big powers. And it indicated that ASEAN had begun to formulate relations with big powers through coordination, and to change the way of dealing with the big powers relations individually. In the 1980s, ASEAN successfully made use of the “Cambodian issue” to strengthen its integration and create a relatively consistent regional security interest while consolidating the regional concept for security. In the 1990s, with the end of confrontation between the different alliances, ASEAN made a readjustment of its relations with the big powers. ASEAN’s cooperation is quite encouraging. The cooperation within ASEAN not only strengthened the regional security and stability, but also balanced the big powers’ regional interests successfully and improved the international environment for ASEAN. ASEAN’s successes are as follows: (1) enlarging ASEAN; (2) building the ASEAN FreeTrade Area (AFTA); (3) keeping a driving force for the multilateral security cooperation in Southeast Asia, even in the Asia-Pacific region, through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); (4) creating cooperation between ASEAN and the big powers in East Asia. Enlargement After enlargement in 1999, ASEAN became the third largest in population. It also had a great impact upon the region’s international relations: 13 ASEAN-China Relations Ch 13 5/8/05, 9:04 AM 176 Evolving Security Environment in Southeast Asia: A Chinese Assessment 177 Firstly, by facilitating regional stability. Regional differences with their complicated historical and cultural backgrounds would be dealt with in the “ASEAN Way” rather than through confrontation. Secondly, by reducing external “intervention”. Enlargement upgraded ASEAN to a regional cooperation forum from a sub-regional one. ASEAN now covers the whole of Southeast Asia. Therefore, problems in Southeast Asia have become ASEAN’s internal issues. Thirdly, by becoming a new force in the multipolar world. After enlargement, ASEAN will be involved in international affairs representing Southeast Asia. ASEAN nations will not only stress their own regional interests, but also the region's interests, which may be positive for the region’s international relations. Fourthly, by stressing “oriental” characteristics. With a...