Academic Papers : Lifetime Collection

China's Rise in the Mainland ASEAN

A Synopsis from https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/9789813275416_0001

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or also known as ASEAN is an international geographic organization established way back in 1967 of the countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. As time goes by, neighboring countries such as Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia joined the union between 1984 to 1999 consecutively. The primary goal of the association is to promote the economic, political, social, and cultural ties and develop strong connections between the countries encompassed, but it has been also recorded how China contributes to the same objectives. As recorded for the past two decades, China move into action, constructing allies and influence within ASEAN and its neighbors. The activities involved lead to dependence on each other, giving a great opportunity for China to maximize its connections and influence over the ASEAN countries while yielding great profit and investment. 

The rapid growth and successful development of China created fear in the Asian and worldwide nations and states as they observed how great the power and influence China has obtained in the past years. Calculating their trade and FDI control in the Mainland ASEAN, particularly Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, China successfully attained the title of being the second-largest economy worldwide in 2010 after they surpassed Japan. The ASEAN seemed quiet with the situation, not until the 2012 ASEAN Summit held in Cambodia, wherein the allegations to the dispute of the South China Sea and the contradicting decisions between the nations of Southeast Asia and China lead to the failure of issuance of the joint statement. 

Not only the ASEAN either the other Asian countries are alarmed, especially with China's activities and continuous denomination in the present, but moreover the other competitive and notable states and nations globally, particularly the European Union and the United Nations. But no matter how the organizations restrained and delimit the growing power of China, it can't be denied that it has already begun and will continue to happen. That the only thing they could do is to play well, safe and secure with China's tactical strategies.