Calmer waters: From security to the South China Sea, greater China-Asean cooperation is in everyone's best interest
Zha Daojiong says that closer cooperation between China and Asean is good for the region as a whole
China supports a more prosperous and stronger Asean, its member states and the grouping's centrality in regional cooperation. The conclusion of Asean community building in 2015 is another milestone for all.
There is no asset in the Asean region that would warrant active conflict between China and the US
On security aspects of the relationship, it is important to be mindful of competing assessments and sources of insecurity by various parties. A seemingly neat theory has it that Asean states can expect to be more secure by aligning more closely with the US for military protection and with China for economic well-being. Attractive as that assertion may sound, it is false.
First, it belittles Asean and member states' relative power. One useful example is Asean's success in having non-regional countries accede to its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US. In this way, Asean shows it is a power to reckon with. In other words, it rejects the possibility for any state to be its guarantor.