ASEAN Centrality and the Rise of China: A Study of the South China Sea Disputes, the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

• In Event: Asian Borders Globalized: Towards the Institutionalization of an Emerging Field

Abstract

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded in August 1967 among five Southeast Asian countries and has since expanded to include the ten countries in Southeast Asia. It has emerged as a leading voice on regional trade and security issues within Southeast Asia and the wider Asian region. ASEAN has assumed the “driver’s seat”, playing a central role in opening borders and in establishing multilateral, regional platforms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asian Summit, thus enabling ASEAN member states to engage with the wider Asian region and the major powers of the world. In recent decades, China’s political and economic rise has presented both opportunities and challenges for Southeast Asia. While the ASEAN members seek to benefit economically from China’s rise, there are also concerns among some about China’s growing strategic clout over Southeast Asia. In particular, the South China Sea disputes over territories, maritime boundaries and access to resources are a source of tension. This study examines the role of ASEAN in managing China-Southeast Asian relations, with emphasis on the South China Sea disputes and the recent initiatives by China, namely the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It will then discuss the implications of such developments, first, for ASEAN as an organization, second, for China’s bilateral relations with the Southeast Asian states, and third, for the region as a whole in terms of regional connectivity and cross-border integration.

Author

• Christopher Len, National University of Singapore