China eyes increased ties to ASEAN in quest for multipolar world

China eyes increased ties to ASEAN in quest for multipolar world

Cindy Sui Agence France-Presse Beijing

China is seeking to boost cooperation with Southeast Asian countries which are holding a major meeting in Cambodia next week in the hope of jointly gaining a bigger say in regional security issues, analysts say.

Long an advocate of a "new world order" where no one country dominates, China is hoping that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and "ASEAN plus three" meetings will come of age and begin playing a bigger role in international affairs, they say.

The meetings emphasize to the views of the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as their dialog partners, including China.

China is expected to use Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's attendance at the ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh to push forward cooperation in political and security fields.

"Gradually, we hope to start cooperation in political and security areas, particularly in non-traditional security areas (including counter-terrorism)," Fu Ying, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry's department of Asian affairs, told reporters this week.

"We hope dialog will be started in this area."

China's relations with the United States have vastly improved in the past two years, but it remains wary of expanding American influence in the region.

Already, U.S. forces are in Afghanistan -- which borders China's tense Muslim-populated Xinjiang region and is not far from Tibet, which too is rife with separatism.

Off its eastern coast, U.S. influence is ensured through close links to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Southeast Asia, however, is not yet so closely aligned with the United States and China wants to keep it that way, analysts said.

"It doesn't want another major country to have a big influence in its neighboring countries, just like the United States wouldn't want China to have a big influence in Latin America," said Wu Guoguang, a political scientist at the Chinese University in Hong Kong.

The possibility that China might one day have to fight to take over Taiwan, seen by Beijing as a renegade province which must return to its fold by force if necessary, is also a factor.

Having U.S. allies on all borders is not a preferred scenario for China, which has lately focused on building good relations and trust with Southeast Asian countries, while downplaying its own military might in order to ease their worries.

In 2001, China and ASEAN inked an initial agreement to establish the ASEAN-China free trade area, essentially binding 1.7 billion people into the world's largest market in terms of population.

"On the surface, it (relations) is better than before. For economic benefits, Southeast Asian countries want to say good words about China. As to how much they really trust China, I have my doubts," Wu said.

"Southeast Asians, as fellow Asians, understand how China operates. The more they understand the more they realize China knows how to fool them."

In an apparent effort to counter distrust, China signed in November the ASEAN treaty of conduct and cooperation in the South China Sea in which all parties agreed to refrain from activities that would escalate tensions over the disputed Spratly Islands.

A potentially oil-rich archipelago, the Spratlys have long been a possible flashpoint in the region and are claimed by ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan.

Wu said the treaty does not necessarily increase trust in China, but only assures Southeast Asia there will be no major problems in the short term.

Next week in Phnom Penh, China is expected to take one more step by becoming the first country outside Southeast Asia to join ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

The treaty, originally signed by ASEAN's five founding members in 1976, is aimed at enhancing peace, friendship and mutual cooperation on matters affecting Southeast Asia.

"China has been studying this matter for many years. Now we've decided to accede to this," Fu said.

"By acceding in this area, we're indicating very strongly to ASEAN countries that China wants to build trust ... and ensure the region enjoys lasting peace."

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ARF includes ASEAN's security dialog partners like Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the European Union.