China eyes increased ties to ASEAN to increase say

China eyes increased ties to ASEAN to increase say

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.