China-ASEAN Relations

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Despite its traditional mistrust of security regimes, China became one of the founding members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1994 – the first region-wide multilateral discussion of peace and security issues in Asia-Pacific. Besides, Beijing established military links with Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Malaysia. This extends not only to military aid and loans, bilateral talks on military issues, and signing of defense memoranda of understanding, but also includes joint production of military equipment and joint training exercises. During the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the ARF in 2005, Chinese Ambassador Liu Yongxing stated that deepening mutual trust, respecting diversity, handling relations with other institutions properly, maintaining vitality of the Forum and achieving continuous development should be the main goals of ARF looking forward. In 2006, China also signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), in which China promised not to threaten the security of other signatory states (ASEAN), to express China’s intention of establishing a strategic partnership with ASEAN for peace and prosperity. China is also willing to support ASEAN’s declaration of Southeast Asia as a nuclear weapons-free zone. With continuing norm convergence and growing trust, ASEAN may be persuaded that the region’s strategic future could be codetermined with China.

The China-ASEAN strategic relationship, however, is not always a bed of roses. There remain serious issues between China and Southeast Asia which affected their relationship in the 1990s and will continue to complicate their relationship. The most prominent of all is the South China Sea dispute. Beijing has maintained that it has f...

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