ASEAN-China Relations: Realities and Prospects

2. Securing a Win-Win Partnership for ASEAN and China

Securing a Win-Win Partnership for ASEAN and China 19 2 Securing a Win-Win Partnership for ASEAN and China Ong Keng Yong INTRODUCTION Let me begin by defining the word “win-win partnership” in the context of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. As the Chinese saying goes, “benevolent government and friendship with neighbouring countries are the good fortune of a country”, ASEAN and China are tapping the opportunities and complementarities offered by each other and acting as catalyst for one another to achieve higher development goals while maintaining peace, security and stability crucial for economic growth and prosperity. It means forging substantive cooperation based on the principles of mutual trust, respect, equality and mutual gains to create conditions that will benefit the people of both regions. The Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and China signed by the leaders of ASEAN and China in October 2003 called for the securing of such a partnership in the political and security, economic, social and cultural, and regional and international cooperation fields. 02 ASEAN-China Relations Ch 2 5/8/05, 9:00 AM 19 20 Ong Keng Yong REPOSITIONING CHINESE POLICY VIS-À-VIS ASEAN ASEAN-China relations in the last decade have not always been easy. In fact, the relationship has seen its ups and downs. Before ties between ASEAN and China were formally established in 1991, they were marked by mutual suspicion, mistrust and animosity largely because of China’s support for the communist parties in ASEAN countries. The normalization of relations with China in 1990 by Indonesia and then Singapore and Brunei Darussalam acted as a catalyst to set the path for China’s admission into the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1994 and eventually the granting of ASEAN dialogue partnership in 1996. Since then, the partnership grew from strength to strength resulting in the expansion and deepening of cooperation in the economic, political and security, social and cultural and development cooperation areas. My Chinese friends have often said to me, “a close neighbour means more than a distant relative”. ASEAN recognized that it would have to work with China, its most populous neighbour in East Asia, to address the issues and challenges in the region. On the other hand, China was receptive to the friendly initiatives of ASEAN. This was largely due to the reorientation that the Chinese foreign policy went through. The Chinese foreign policy underwent changes giving way to more pragmatic and proactive strategies. The result is a more focused, nimble and engaging policy on Asia involving enhanced diplomatic, economic, and military exchanges; increased Chinese participation in regional and multilateral mechanisms (APEC, ACD, FEALAC); and tactical flexibility on bilateral disputes. This Asia policy is premised on the “calculative strategy” of China to build a strong foundation for a vibrant and modern state. The key elements of this strategy are to promote market economy for economic growth, to refrain from the use of force while pursuing military modernization, and to expand international political influence. At the same time, China generally avoids explicit competition with the United States or its allies, notably Japan. STRENGTHENING ASEAN-CHINA COOPERATION Even though ASEAN-China cooperation was formalized in 1996, substantive cooperation only picked up pace in 2001 when the leaders of ASEAN and China endorsed a proposal for a framework on economic cooperation and to establish a free trade area (FTA) in ten years as well as identified five priority areas to move cooperation. This was in the areas of agriculture, information 02 ASEAN-China Relations Ch 2 5/8/05, 9:00 AM 20 Securing a Win-Win Partnership for ASEAN and China 21 technology, human resource development (HRD), mutual investments and Mekong cooperation. Political and Security In the political and security realm, China is an active participant in the ARF. It is also a key member of many of the regional processes that ASEAN has been instrumental in initiating, particularly the ASEAN+3 process. ASEAN and China have concluded a number of agreements ensuring the peace and security of the region and establishing a tranquil regional environment to pursue economic development. ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea in November 2002 in Cambodia, which signalled the mutual desire to promote trust and confidence to establish a regional code of conduct in the area. Discussions will be intensified in the coming months between ASEAN and China to move...