China's New Neighboring Diplomacy

China，s New Neighboring Diplomacy

Qi Huaigao‘

Abstract：China’S new thinking about neighboring diplomacy in Asia since

the end of Cold W ar can be analyZed theoretically frOm angle of

internationaIinstitutions。China utilizes institutionalism with great flexibility

in f0ur sub—regions—Central Asia，Northeast Asia。Southeast Asia and

South Asia， where institutionaI models—dominant participation． deep

participation，active participation and moderate participation models have

been adopted．1n the foUF sub·regions in Asia．China has handled the

presence of U．S interests welI and responded reasonably to the United

States’Asian diplomacy．China and the United States have therefcIre

achieved a compatible coexistence in Asia．Compatibility and coexistence

between China and the United States jn Asia are the fundamentaI reasons

that China has made progress jn this new stage，and are the essence of

the new thinking in China’S neighboring diplomacy．

N 翟i ceo肺m—ponen diplomacy since the end of the Cold War．China has settled lingering

historical problems with surrounding countries．China has also made great

progress in surveylng and determining boundaries，promoting cooperation

in economy and trade，an d eliminating regionally sensitive issues． Because

of these，some scholars have pointed out that China’S present environment

iS the best since the foun ding ofthe PR．C．

Ql Huaigao IS a post-doctoral researcher at the School of International Relations and Public A iis of Fudan University,Shanghai．China．ThiS article iS supported by the 44th Session China Postdoctoral Scien'cce pounda【tion(China's朋 历 幼 ， Diplomacy and the Evolurtion of East Asia International Systems during the

， post-CoM WarEra)． 一 Ni，Shixiong&Zhao，Kejin，“Diyuan Zhengzhi Yu Zhongguo Zhoubian Waijiao Xinsiwei” (Geo．Politics and the New Thinking of—China's Neighbo n2 Diplomacy)，in Pan，Zhongqi，ed．，Duobian Z f，f G 0，f Z万ixu rM ilate i Governance and Intematioiaal Order)。Shanghai：Shangha~People’S Publishing House。2006，P．211． 一 一 一

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009

Oi Huaigao

This article attempts to analyze China’S new thinking about

neighboring diplomacy from the perspective of international institutions．

In China’S peripheral regions--Centre Asia，Northeast Asia，Southeast

Asia and South Asia，China has proposed an institutional system of

dominant participation， deep participation， active participation and

moderate participation．In the four sub．regions in Asia．China has paid

detailed attention to the interests of the United States and has responded in

a rational manner to the United States’Asia diplomacy,thus achieving in

Asia an accommodation between the tw o countries．

International institutions and China’S neighboring

institutions

Robert O．Keohane has defined institutionalism as a“persistent and

connected sets of rules(formal and informa1)that prescribe behavioral

roles。constrain activity,and shape expectation．” We may think of

international institutions．thus defined．as assuming one of three form s：

first。 formal intergovemmental or cross—national nongovernmental

organizations；second,intemational regimes；third，conventions． Intemational

institutions are important for states’actions in part because they affect the

incentives facing states．even if those states’fundamental interests are

defined autonomously．Institutions may also affect the understandings that

leaders of states have of the roles they should play and their assumptions

about others’motivations and perceived self-interests．

Since the l 990s．one of the important demonstrations of China’S new

thinking in neighboring diplomacy has been full participation in many

regional international organizations and institutions and actively playing

the role of a promoter．1、able l shows the formal and informal institutional

arrangements that China has established with neighboring coun tries in the

past ten years．Multi-fields like politics，security,econom~environment，

Robe~ Keohane，International International Institutions and State Power：Essays

in International Relations Theory，Boulder,Colorado：Westview Press，1 989，PP．

3．5．

Ibid．P．6．

90 C V01．19 No．5

China's New NeighboringDiplomacy

disease—control。and cracking down on cross．national crime，as well as

control of drug trafficking show that China has achieved a series of

institutional arrangements with neighboring states．Current diplomatic

practices indicate that such arrangements will increase．

China’S neighboring diplomacy involves formal and informal

institutions in an institutional arrangement．with the form er higher than the

latter as regards binding force，degree of organization and implementing

abili ble 1 shows that the inform al institutions。which promote the

collective actions of Asian cooperation on the basis of consensus among

member states，are in the majority in institutional arrangements reached by

China with its neighboring states．The majority of the operations in

neighboring institutions relies on the support and promotion of states．

Even the forma1 institutiona1 arrangements are limited to acquiring

authorization to play an independent role．This iS in sharp contrast with the

hi ly regionalized E．U． arrangement． Whether the level of

institutionalization has a direct relationship with the effect of institutions

still remains to be studied both in theory and in practice．Obviously,under

certain conditions．informal institutions are able to play a more effective

role than formal institutions． However,unless there iS a major disruption．

China’S institutional arrangements with its neighbors will grow in strength

and promote Asian regional institutions to a higher leve1．

Some institutions or regimes ale legislated by international organizations，

maintained by councils，congresses or other bodies，and monitored by international

bureaucracies．Wle characterize these as“formal”institutions．Bv contrast．Other,

more “informal” institutions are created and maintained by convergence or

consensus in objectives among participants．enforced by mutual self-interest and “gentleman’S agreements．”and monitored by mutual surveillance．See Donald J．

Puchala and Raymond F Hopkins．“Intemational Regimes：Lessons from Inductive

Analysis，”International Organization,V01．36，No．2(Spring 1 982)，P．249． ‘Charles Lipson，“Why are Some Intemational Agreements Informa1．”／nternational

Organization，Vbl_45，No．4(Autumn，1991)，PP．495．538．

Su，Changhe，“Zhoubian Zhidu Yu Zhoubian Zhuyi：Dongya Quyu ZhiliZhong De

Zhongguo Lujin’’(Zhoubian Institution and Zhoubianism：China’S Approach to Goverance in East Asia)，Shijie Jing／i Yu Zhengzhi fWormEconomics andPolitics)， No．1．2006．P．13．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 91

Oi Huaigao

Agenda Formal Institution Informal Institution

China—ASEAN Joint East Asia Summit(EAS) Politics Declaration on Strategic China．ASEAN Summit and Ministeria1．1evel

Partnership for Peace and Meeting

Prosperity ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF)

Six．Party Talks Mechanism

China—ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct

Security Shan ghai Cooperation ofParties in the South China Sea

Organization(sco) China．ASEAN Declaration on Cooperation on Non—Tlraditional Security Issues

China．Japan—ROK Security Dialogue

Boao Forum for Asia fBFA1& East Asian

Chiang Mai Initiative(CMI) Vision Group fEAVG1 China—ASEAN Free Trade The Tumen River Region Cooperation

Economy Area(CAFTA) Central Asia F11A Initiative Closer Economic Partnership No~heast Asia F Initiative

Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Arrangement(CEPA) Cooperation Program

Pan—Beibu GuIf Cooperation

Northeast Asia Environm ental Cooperation

Annual Conference

WOrk Group on Preventing Sand-dust Storm s

of China,Mongolia，Japan ，R0 an d DPRK

Greater M ekong Subregion Partnership in Environmenta1．Man agement

Environment Environmental Cooperation for the Seas ofEastAsia (PEMSEA)

Mechanism Northwest Pacitic Action Plan

Co．ordinating Body on the Sea of East Asia

rCOBSEA) China．ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct

ofParties in the South China Sea

China—ASEAN Infectious

DiseasesDetection， 1O+3 Health Ministers Meeting Disease．control S

urveillance and Control 1 0+3 Public Health Cooperation Mechan ism

Cooperation

ASEAN and China, Japan an d the ROK Cross．national SCO Mini

sterial—level Mechanism on crime T

ran snational Crime

Beijing Declaration on Cooperation in Drug SC0 Control & the Subregion Drug Control

Drugtrafficking Cbina-ASEAN Plan of Action Program of Action(China，Vietnam ，Laos， forDrugControl Thailan d， Myanmar, Cam bodia and the

UNDCP)

Su，Changhe，‘‘Zhoubian Zhidu Yu Zhoubian Zhuyi：Dongya Quyu ZhiliZhong De

Zhongguo Lujin’’(Zhoubian Institution and Zhoubianism：China’S Approach to Governance in East Asia)，ShU／e Jing~i Yu Zhengzhi(World Economics and

Politics)，No．1，2006，P．13．

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At the same time，the United States has actively constructed U．S．-led

institutional arrangements in Asia around China’S periphery．For example，

the ited States has sought to strengthen the U．S．一Japan alliance and e

U．S．．ROK alliance that have been in existe：nce since the Cold W_ar．The

author believes that the United States has two attitudes regarding Asian

regional institutionalization．On the one han d．the United States hopes to

advocate the construction of regional institutions SO as to take control of

the agenda and to establish the rules of the game．On the other hand，in the

case of regional institutions that need watching．the United States

encourages its allies to ioin in SO as to ensure that institutions will not

exclude U．S．interests．

The above．mentioned attitude of the U．S．shows its dilemma as

regards Asia’S regional institutions．On the one hand．the diversity of Asia

lcads to the un certainty of the institutions’effectiveness and direction。

which results in the United States beillg unable to formulate a un ified and

stable policy．On the other han d，the deepening of institutional cooperation

requires the United States to engage in the development of institutional

cooperation as soon as possible SO as not to lose control of it．

As regards the ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF)．the most important

regional institution in East Asia，the U．S．attitude has un dergone great

changes．In February 2009，Hillary Clinton visited Indonesia and

announ ced that the Obama Administration will laun ch a formal

interagency process to pursue accession to the Treaty of Amity and

Cooperation in Southeast Asia． In July 2009，Hillary participated in the

ASEAN Post．Ministerial an d ARF meetings．an d signed the Treaty of

Am ity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in Thailand． This is the first

time the United States has taken such a step．

Generally speaking，the United States will participate in Asian

regional institutions and organizations which do not{eopardize its national

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 93

Oi Huaigao

interests．while fostering and influencing the direction of its development

as so to acquire dominant power．

China adopts a realistic diplomatic strategy that respects the existence

OfU．S．bilateral alliances in Asia．In the post—Cold W era．China actively

seeks the establishment of linking mechanisms between the multilateral

cooperation institutions and bilateral alliance institutions in Asia．In the

political field，China and the United

Northeast Asian security cooperation

States have constructed a bridge for

through the Six—Party Talks and have

constructed 1inking institutions in Southeast Asia through ioint

participation in the ．Since then China has been able to follow the

model of ASEAN’S dialogue partners to establish a dialogue parmership

between the United States and the East Asian Summit and to create a

partnership betw een East Asia and the E．U．Furthermore，consideration

should be given to the formulation of an East Asian Summit plus the

United States mechanism． In the economic field，both China and the

United States are trying to establish free trade areas with Asian countries．

For example．the China．ASEAN FTA will be established in 20 1 0．The

United States has already signed free-trade pacts with Singapore．the ROK

and Australia．Both these efforts provide the conditions for China and the

United States to accommodate each other in the economic arena．Through

creating free-trade zones and maintaining the stability of exchange rates，

China and the United States can reinforce economic cooperation in Asia

through bilateral and multilateral regional pacts．which can also extend

and strengthen multilateral and bilateral cooperation in politics，diplomacy

and other fields．

In the diplomatic field，China applies the appropriate institutional

models to its peripheral regions—Centre Asia，Northeast Asia，Southeast

Asia and South Asia，and accordingly puts forward multilateral institutions

for dominant participation，deep participation，active participation and

moderate participation．In the following sections，specific analysis is

provided of China’S choice of neighboring diplomacy institutions．

Qi Huaigao，“Contradictions and Compatibility between China’S Multilateral Cooperation System and the U．S．一led Bilateral Alliance Structure in East Asia，’’

China International Studies，No．1 4，January／February 2009，P．1 4 1．

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China’S CA diplomacy：SCO and institutions of

dominant participation

Central Asia lies at the iunction of Europe and Asia and is an

important geo—political hinge for international strategy．Great powers

compete in Central Asia for the region’S unique geo．political situation and

its abundant natural resources．Russia has a traditional and deeply．rooted

influence in this area．However,since 9／1 1．the United States has extended

its influence in the name of an ti．terrorism．The E．U．．India and Japan have

also been trying to increase their influence．

Central Asia iS also an important region for China’S neighboring

diplomacy．After the end of the Cold War,China’S influence in Central

Asia rapidly increased and it took the initiative to establish with Central

Asian countries the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (sco)，a

multilateral regional organization．The SCO has its origins in the Shanghai

Five institution． From 1 998．the Shan ghai Five top leaders’conference

extended its agenda from discussion of the“three evils”and border issues

to economic cooperation an d cultural exchange． The fi觚 top leaders’

meeting held in July 2000 issued a common declaration that all members

would be committed to making the meeting a regional multilateral

institution cooperating in every field．In Jun e 2001，the Shanghai Five

mechanism evolved into a formal regional organization．the SCO．

Uzbekistan was admitted as a new founding member,thus expanding the

Shan ghai Five to the Shanghai Six．The SCO is the first regional

multilateral cooperative organization of the 21st century an d also the fwst

one promoted and led by China from its inception．

The SCO iS an institution of dominant participation through which

China cooperates in Centra1 Asia．It has the following characteristics：first．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 95

ai Huaigao

China has played a leading role in the creation and process of development

of the SC0．China iS the host country of the SC0 Secretariat．and Zhang

Deguang，former Chinese vice Foreign Minister and former Chinese

Ambassador to Russia，was appointed the first SCO Secretary．Genera1．

Some scholars believe that the SC0 represents the fact that Chin’S

multilateral diplomacy has entered a new stage．from careful involvement

in the past，to taking the initiative，from cautious handling of the

international and regional situation，to conscious monitoring of the

development of the peripheral situation．

Secondly,the SCO is a regional organization cooperating on security

at a highly institutionalized leve1．Its organizational structure iS relatively

complete．In January 2005，the secretariat of SC0 was set up．In June

2005．the regional anti．terrorism mechanism 0f SCO was founded．These

two standing mechanisms show that the SCO has become an organization

complete in structure and function．

Thirdly,the developing process of the institution of SCO goes from

senior level to iunior leve1．The establishment of the Shanghai Five

Summit Mechan ism was decided by the top leaders of the five countries at

the Summit in 1 996．Later,ministers of foreign affairs，ministers of

defense departments and other government leaders started to meet

periodically and it was thus that the multi．1evel and multi．fields consultant

mechanism was founded．The SCO iS somewhat different from ASEAN。

while SCO adopted measures for further institutionalization immediately

after it was established．Compared to ASEAN，SC0 accumulated five

years practical experience before establishm ent and has a more stable

basis．

while they enjoy cooperation，there are still disputes between China

and the United States in the Central area．The U．S．troops in Central Asia

give prominence in the tw o countries’ disputes． After 9／11． the

anti．terrorism alliance of western coun tries led bv the United States started

to deploy regular troops in Central Asia．The U．S．hopes to keep the troops

Jiang，Yi，“Zhongguo De Duobian Waijiao Yu Shanghai Hezuo Zuzhi’’(China’S

Multilateral Diplomacy and Shanghai Cooperation Organization)，Eluosi Zhongya Dongou Yanjiu(Russian，Eastern European and Middle Asian Studies)，No．5， 2003，P．46．

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Chma~NewNeighboringDiplomacy

here for a long time，partly because of the uncertainty of the situation in

Afghanistan，which has attracted China’S attention．Some scholars believe

that U．S．troops in Central Asia wil1 pose the following threats to China’S

security interests：they will create the semblance of a military pincer attack

against China from east and west，provide shorter-ran ge and more

intensified support for the separatist ethnic forces in China’S Xinjiang region，weaken the cohesion of the SCO，and challenge China’S strategy in

CentralAsia．

China and the United States，however,still share comprehensive

cooperative interests which are evident in the security field．such as the

fight against terrorism and the prevention of nuclear proliferation．

Terrorism in Central Asia is a threat both to China and the United States．

China and other members of the SCO signed the Shanghai Convention

against Terrorism，Separatism and Extremism in June 200 1，the Agreement

on a Regional Anti．Terrorist Agency in Jun e 2002．an d have held

anti—terrorism military exercises．which meet with the U．S．’s policy against

terrorism．China is now beginning to treat the U．S．troop presence in

Central Asia rationally and pragmatically．In this way China has not only

extended the areas of cooperation with the United States．but has also

dissolved negative influences and reduced the number of disputes．

China’S NEA diplomacy：Six—Party Talks and the

institution of deep participation

Northeast Asia(NEA)is another region mat concerns China’S core

security interests．Currently,there is an obvious security dilemma in NEA：

the ongoing DPRK nuclear crisis illustrates the wider security predicament

ill the region．Whether the DPRK nuclear crisis can be solved in a peaceful

way concerns not only the stability of NEA，but also affects the

Zhao，Longgen，“Shixi Meiguo Zhujun Zhongyahou De Zhanlue Taishi Jiqi Dui Woguo Anquan Liyi De Yingxiang” Probe on Strategic Posture after US Troop

Stationing in Central Asia and its Impact on China’S Security Interests)，Eluosi Zhongya Dongou Yanjiu(Russian，Eastern European and Middle Asian Studies)， No．2，2004，PP．71—72．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 97

Oi Huaigao

development of Sino．American relations．

China，seeking a peaceful settlement of the DPRK nuclear issue，

stands staunchly in favor of applying multilateralism and multilateral

security mechanisms in resolving the Korean Peninsula conflict．Together

with other countries including the United States，China established the

Six—Party Talks，an institution involving China’S deep participation．In

October 2002，the DPI nuclear issue erupted again，bringing tension to

Northeast Asia．The United States and the DPRK came into sharp

confrontation and deadlock on whether to use bilateral or multilateral

means to SOlve the nuclear issue．In April 2003．the United States yielded

from its previous position of insisting on multilateral talks，while the

DPRK also made a concession in its stand of persisting in bilateral

negotiations，thus leadmg to trilateral talks．To break the impasse between

the United States and the DPRK．China took a middle path betw een the

bilateral and multilateral approaches and finally, in August 2003，

succeeded in initiating the Three。Party Ta lks betw een China，the DPRK

and the United States．Later, China facilitated the first round of the

Six．Party Tall【S of China，the US，the DPRj ，the ROK，Japan and Russia，

developing real multilateral negotiations on this issue．By the end of 2008，

the Six．Party Talks had held six rounds and China had made great effort in

relaxing NEA tense situation．

However,since the DPRK’S withdrawal from the Six．Party Ta lks on

April 14．2009 and its carrying out of another nuclear test on Mav 25，

2009，the prospect of the Six—Party Talks is uncertain．Although the DPRK

nuclear crisis has created a dilemma for the Talks，the Talks are the

historical choice of every party of Northeast Asia after long and hard

endeavors．Solving the DPRK nuclear crisis under the Six．Party Ta lks iS

still a realistic choice．China will make further efforts in this area，taking a

responsible and constructive attitude．

There are at present tw o arguments regarding security cooperation

institutions in NEA geo．politics．One is that the alliance institution，led by

the United States and centered by the US．Japan alliance an d the US—ROK

alliance，favors the establishing of a multilateral security cooperation

system based on an alliance system an d including non．alliance states like

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China New Neighboring Diplomacy

China，Russia，the DPRK,and others．The other argument iS the NEA

multilateral cooperation institution as advocated by China and agreed

upon by Russia，which favors the equality of each participating party with

no military alliance against the third party．

The Six．Party Talks are the result of a compromise of the two

above．mentioned arguments．It shows the reality of NEA geo．politics and

the balance of power in NEA．The Six．Party Talks include the United

States an d．to some extent．they accommodate the US．Japan allian ce an d

the US．ROK alliance．which iS good for coord【ination among the big

powers，including China，the United States，Japan and Russia．If the

Korean Peninsular iS able tO achieve the object of denuclearization

gradually,the gap betw een the tw o arguments will decrease．In particular,

the alliance system against the third party will gradually fade away．The

DPRK maintains that the pre—condition of denuclearization iS that the

US．1ed alliance ceases hostilities against the DPRK．So denuclearization

of the DPRK will definitely result in the transition of the US—RoK alliance．

which in turn will shake the foundation of the US．Japan alliance．The

transition of the US—ROK alliance and US—Japan alliance will be helpful

for advancing equality and mutual benefit among every party in NEA．

Softness an d transition of the US．1ed alliances willleave more compatible

and cooperative space for China and the United States in NEA．

China’S participation in the Six．Party Ta lks in NEA involves an

institution of deep participation possessing the following characteristics．

First，China，as a facilitator and coordinator in resolving the DPRK

nuclear issue．has become deeply involved in the Six．Party Talks

mechanism．This deep involvement stems from China’S irreplaceable

influence both as regards the DPRK and the United States．

Secondly,China determination to solve the DPRK nuclear crisis

through the Six．Party Talks accommodates the United States’requirement

for security in NEA．China and the United States share wide interests in

maintaining stability and security in NEA．in avoiding another Korean war,

Shi Yuanhua，‘'Hou Chaohe Jieduan Dongbeiya Anquan Hezuode Zouxiang’’

(Trend of the Northeast Asia security cooperation during the period of the post—DPRK nuclear issue)，Guoji Wenti Yanjiu(International Studies)，No．6， November 2008，P．57．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009

Qi Huaigao

and in preventing a nuclear proliferation military contest．

Thirdly,China has adopted the New Functionalism approach，which

begins with multilateralism in security,an issue high on the political

agenda．and then guides it towards economic and other functional areas of

cooperation after cultivating sufficient trust and goodwill among the

members． The significance of the Six—Party Talks has exceeded the

settlement of the DPRK nuclear issue itself；it iS also playing an important

role in the building of the security environment of NEA，and may even

possibly evolve into a multilateral security cooperation mechanism in the

region．

China SEA diplomacy：the ASEAN+3 and institution

of active participation

A large number of lan d and maritime countries in Southeast Asia

fSEA1 are neighbors to China．China has great economic interests in SEA

and has formed a number of multilateral cooperation lnstitutions wlth

ASEAN．China is endeavoring to develop cooperation with ASEAN

through the 10+1 mechanism within the framework of 10+3，an d is

striving to play an important role in the process of sub—regional economic

integration．

China and ASEAN started their official relationship in July 1 99 1，

when China became a consultative partner of ASEAN and took part in

ASEAN，S enlarged Meeting of Foreign Ministers．In July 1 996，the

ASEAN Standing Committee elevated China’S status from that of a

consultative partnership to a full dialogu e partnership． The first

China—ASEAN inform al summit was held in December 1 997，when a new

Guoguang Wu．“M ultiple Levels of Multilateralism：the Rising China in the

Zurb—ulent World，”in Guoguang W u and Helen Lansdowne，eds．，China Turns to

Multilateralism：Foreign Policy and Regional Security，London：Routledge，2008，

P．270． 2一Shi

．

YLlanhua， “Liufang Huitan Jizhihua： Dongbeiya Arian Hezuode Null

Fangxiang’’fThe Institutionalization of Six Party Talks：W orking Aims of

NortheaLst Asia Security Cooperation)，Guoji Guancha(International Observer)， No．2，March，2005，PP．1 5—20．

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China"s NewNeighboringDiplomacy

regular and institutional consulmtion mechanism was established．

Since entering the new century,the China-ASEAN relationship has

advanced from cooperation in the form of dialogue to institutional

cooperation． If China in the past only responded to the multilateral

efforts promoted by ASEA] ，it is nOW increasingly positive towards

multilateral cooperation．and sometimes even puts forward its own

initiatives on the institutionalization of China—ASE A N cooperation．In

November 200 1，at the 5th China．ASEAN Summit in Brunei，the two

sides agreed upon the establishment of a free trade area within ten years．

This iS the first time China has comm itted itself to establishing a free trade

area with other countries，marking a historical breakthrough in cooperation

betw een China and ASEAN． In November 2002． the Framework

Agreement on China．ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation was

signed at the sixth China．ASEAN summit held in Phnom Penh，

symbolizing the launch of the new China．ASEAN economic cooperation．

And the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea

sign ed at the same time indicated that the mutual trust betw een China and

ASEAN in the political and security fields had reached a new 1eve1．At the

7th China。ASEAN Summit held in Bali，Indonesia，in October 2003，

China became the first major country from beyond the Southeast Asia

region to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation，securing in legal form

the pursuit of the policy of good—neighborly friendship．In November 2007，

the Singapore Declaration on Climate Change， Energy and the

Environment was signed at the 1 l th China．ASEAN Summit,again taking

the cooperation betw een China and AS EAN into new fields．

China is also actively promoting the 1 0+3 cooperation on the basis of

the 1 0+l cooperation with ASEAN．In December 1 997．the ftrst inform al

meeting between ASEAN，China．Japan and the RoK was held in Kuala

Lumpur,initiating the 1 0+3 multilateral mechanism of East Asia．Under

mis fram ework，periodic meetings betw een China，Japan，the I K and

ASEAN were held．After more than ten years of development．the 1 0+3

Zhang，Yunling，Dongya Hezuoyu Zhongguo Dongmeng Ziyou Maoyiqude Jianshe

(East Asia Cooperation and the Construction of China—ASEAN FTA)，Dangdai

Yatai(ContemporaryAsia-pacificStudies)，No．1，January,2002，P．8．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 101

cooperative mechanism has extended from the economic sphere to social，

cultural and security fields．forming a complete cooperation framework．

An increasingly mature main channel for East Asia regional cooperation

has been formed，providing the foundation for the construction of the East

Asian Community．In December 2005．the 1 0+3 mechanism was upgraded

to the East Asian Summit．which iS more form al interaction at a higher

leve1．By the end of 2007，the East Asian Summ it had already held three

meetings and the membership had expanded to 1 6 coun tries：the ASEAN

members China Japan theRoK India AHstralia and New Zealand．刀}e

East Asian Summit is an important new cooperation platform for East Asia

and adjacent countries，and takes East Asian cooperation into a new stage

of development．With China’S involvement and promotion，regional

cooperation in East Asia iS accelerating． Multilateral cooperation

mechanisms such as ASEAN，ASEAN plus its dialogue partner(1 O+1)，

l 0+3，the East Asia Summit，and the China．Japan．R0K cooperation Can

CO—exist effectively,and the scope of these cooperation iS continually

widening．

To balance China’S increasing influence in Southeast Asia．the United

States adjusted its policy toward this region by improving and promoting

its relations with ASEAN after the 9／1 1 incident．The United States iS

vigorously expanding its military presence to ASEAN on anti—terrorism

and disaster relief as well as conducting ioint coun ter-terrorism and rescue

operations and ioint military exercises with ASEAN．ASEAN members

also take the special relations with the United States as the fundamental

means of exerting influence on the Asia．Pacific security mechanism and

thev believe that U．S．participation can ensure the stability of the

Asia．Pacific region． Southeast Asia states want the United States

engaged and involved in this region．A scholar in Southeast Asia said that

if China is regarded as the regional power with the most suspect intentions，

then the United States must be regarded as the country with the most

benign intentions．No country in ASEAN specifically views the United

Chen，Qiaozhi，et al，Lengzhan Hou Dongmeng Guojia Duihua Zhengce Yanjiu

(ASEAN’s China Policy during the Post—Cold War Period)，Beijing：Zhongguo Shehui Kexue Chubanshe(China Social Sciences Press)，2001，PP．17-18．

102 C豫 V01．19 No．5

China"s New NeighboringDiplomacy

States as a source of threat，even if Indonesia has always articulated a

preference for an independent and neutral foreign policy．N．Gan esan has

said‘Alternatively,certain members of ASEAN’S political establishment，

such as former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia，may

express occasional anti。American rhetoric．However,apart from these

irregular and often issue．specific irritants．most ASEAN member states

view the U．S．role as inevitable and positive．“

In view of the U．S．’S retum to SEA after the 9／11 incident an d

ASEAN’S desire to provide a balan ce to China through the strength of the

U⋯S China’S diplomacy has moved away from its traditionally cautious

attitude towards ASEAN．China has started to actively integrate into all

kinds of regiona1 mechanisms created by ASEAN in order to lessen the

U．S．threat to China and dispel ASEAN’S suspicion of China’S rise．China

iS now an active participant in many of this region’S multilateral

arrangements．China’S stance on multilateral cooperation in East Asia has

gradually taken shape：adhering to openness an d inclusiveness，respecting

diversity,taking l0+1 as the basis and 10+3 as the main channe1．and

developing the East Asian Summit as a vital strategic forum to achieve

complementarity．

China’S participation in the ASEAN 1 0+1／1 0+3 mechanism is a kind

of institution of active participation with the foUowing characteristics．

Firstly,China is an active participant and guides but does not dominate the

construction of institutions．Take the cooperation between China and

ASEAN as an example．China has actively taken part in the ASEAN

1 0+1／1 0+3 mechan ism and made many suggestions for deepening

cooperation to direct the development of East Asian economic cooperation．

At the same time，China respects the dominant position of ASEAN．and

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 103

Oi Huaigao

the Chinese govemment leadership has said many times that China always

supports ASEAN in exerting a dominant role in East Asian cooperation．

Secondly,economic multilateralinstitution is a priori~ while security

multilateral institution takes second place．China has taken an“economic

multilateral institutions first and security multilateral institutions second'’

approach in SEA．The economy iS the most important area in which

China’S and ASEAN’S interests overlap．China’S economic development is

in line with ASEAN’S economic considerations．This complementarity in

bo幽 China and ASEAN’S interests clearly prompted the China-ASEAN

Free Trade Agreement(CAFTA)．which iS scheduled to come into e ct in

2010，and iS bound to be given greater emphasis in the years ahead．China

is cautious and often reluctant to{oin multilateral security arrangements in

this region， in contrast with the Chinese priority of practicing

multilateralism through mechanisms like the SC0．

Thirdly,since the ASEAN Regional Forum iS a multilateral security

cooperative organization and the United States iS one of its members．

China’s active participation in ARF is beneficial for it to make use of

multilateral institutions to accommodate U．S．policies in SEA and to

reduce U．S．military threat to and pressure on China．

China SA diplomacy：SAARC and the institution of

moderate participation

South Asia is a region where China’S multilateral diplomacy is less

involved compared to the other sub—regions neighboring China．The

cooperative relations between China and South Asia are conducted mostly

through traditional bilateral channels，for example，the balance of the

砌l g 础

一̈ "，凡

一一一 一一． 一 ． 一一一 一一一 ～ ～ ．耋 眦 、 ～～一 一～～ 一 一一一 一一一 一一一一一一～ ～～一～～～一

China's New Neighboring Diplomacy

relationship of India and Pakistan and the coordination of the conflict

between them．However,things have changed since 2005．On November

1 3th 2005．China was officially accepted as South Asian Association

Regional Cooperation(SAARC、observer at the 1 3th SAARC Summit．

In April 2007．China first attended the 1 4th SSARC Summit as an

observe~Li Zhaoxing，Foreign Minister of China，attended this summit

with a delegation and made some suggestions for developing

China—SAARC relations． Some scholars believe that the fact that China

has become an observer of the SAARC has a great influence on the

countries of South Asia．It gives the SAARC greater intemational

influence and more interest in economic problems．It also promotes the

process 0f SAARC integration and the emergence of equal coordination

mechanism among SAARC members．’

Since the 1 990s．the United States has been taking the opportunity of

the collapse of the Soviet Union and the weakness of Russia to remove

Moscow’S influence from South Asia．The United States’South Asia

policies have transited from balance strategy to beyond balan ce strategy．

As China is rapidly rising，the United States wishes to use India as a

counterbalance to China in Asia．At the same time，India treats a rising

China as an external obstacle to its remaining the leading power on the

Indian subcontinent．In 2002．India opposed the decision of the l 3th

SAARC Summit to accept China as an observen It was because of the

In a sense．it was a reciprocal gesture as both Pakistan and India were observers in

the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(scO1 since 2004．Japan and the United States were also invited as observers and Afghanistan to ioin the organization as a

如11member．

‘The suggestions of Li Zhaoxing included followed the following：Chma is ready to

discuss with SAARC the possibility of establishing cooperation mechanisms for

poverty alleviation，to strengthen cooperation on human resources training，

personnel contacts and academic exchan ges，infrastructure construction，economy

andtradeand energybasedon equality andmumalbebefits．SeeRen，Yan&Chen，

Jihui， “Li Zhaoxing Biaoshi Zhongguo Yuanyu Nanmeng Jiaqiang Hezuo’’

(China’S Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxin said China Hope to Strengthen Cooperation

with SAARC)，Renmin Ribao(People Daily)，April 4，2007，P．3． Hu，Shisheng& Lou，Chunhao，‘'Nanmeng Zai Zhongguo—Nanya Guanxizhongde

Zuoyong Yantaohui Jiyao” (Symposium Summary of “SAARC’S Role in

China-South Asia Relations”1，Xiandai Guojf Guanxi(Contemporary International

Relations)．No，1(January 2007)。P．60．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 l05

Oi Huaigao

requirements of other countries that India f'mally agreed to China being an

observer,but with the condition that Japan should be admitted as an

observer too．The above—mentioned facts show that India was very

suspicious of China and was not keen for China to play an active role

under SAARC．India and the United States never made any statement or

officially admitted their cooperation in confronting China，but in fact．it iS

obvious that“the strongest democratic coun try”iS seeking to ally with

“the most populated democratic country”in order to balance“the fastest

growing economic entity in the world”．

Although China and India compete with each other in South Asia．a

good handling of bilateral relations will make cooperation greater than

competition．China’S interests and benefits in South Asia and the Indian

Ocean are in the economy．China’S military relations with some South

Asian countries are to create a sound security environment SO as to

guarantee and protect China’S economic interests in that area；those

relations are not aimed at India．As two rising powers，China and India are

discovering increasingly shared interests．At the same time．the tw o

countries have tried to modify theft strategic suspicions and to work

together in the regional and global areas，although there is a long way to

go before real trust betw een them will be established．

China’S participation in South Asian cooperation as an observer of

SAARC shows multilateral institutionalism with moderate participation

with the following characteristics．Firstly,China has a low degree of

participation in the South Asia cooperation mechanism．S A AR C was

founded in December 1 985，but China was accepted as an observer by

SA ARC only in November 2005．In April 2007，China took pan in the

SA ARC summit for the first time as an observer．That is to say,China’S

C V01．19 No．5

China"s New Neighboring Diplomacy

involvement in SAARC is relatively short and low—key．Beijing’S road to

the Indian Ocean is still long．

Secondly,traditional bilatera1 diplomacy iS still the pillar of China’S

South Asian policy．India is the biggest country in South Asia，while

Pakistan is the biggest Islamic country．China’S method of han dling India

and Pakistan is to develop separate bilateral relations with each coun try．

Now,however,it would be enormously important for China to work

through SAARC．With the free trade agreement coming into effcct and

regional cooperation likely to increase，SAARC will gain much greater

leverage and influence． China’S participation through SA ARC will also

be seen as more constructive and cooperative than in its earlier bilateral

arrangements．

Conclusion

China’S new thinking about neighboring diplomacy presents different

outcomes in CA，NEA，SEA and SA．As regards Central Asia，because this

region concerns the peace and stability of the western part of China，China，

Russia and other Central Asian countries CO—founded SCO．an institution

of dominant participation．Northeast Asia involves China’S COre security

interests，SO China creatively established the Six．Party Talks mechan ism，

an institution of deep participation．As for Southeast Asia，which has close

economic interests with China．China has been actively involved in the

ASEAN 10+1／10+3 cooperation mechanism．an institution of active

participation．Since the post-Cold era the economic and security

relations between South Asia and China have been increasing．but China’S

involvement in S A ARC iS not deep，thus the China．SAARC cooperation

mechanism iS an institution of moderate pattieipation．These show that the

choice of institutional model for China’S neighboring diplomacy has great

flexibility and China does not follow a unified model(see figure I、．

Dipankar Banerjee，“China and South Asia in the New Era，”in Zhang，Yunling，ed．， Making New Partnership A Rising China and Its Neighbors，Beijing：Social Sciences Academic Press，2008，P．2 1 4．

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 107

Qi Huaigao

L Institutionof

● Nlgn

Institution of dominant participation ●

deep participafion ，／ 、、 甘

⋯

▲=： 、▲ 薏 -，，一，，， ’ 、、、、、、、▲ c。 -．1 cen⋯sia I ：．．一．．一 I I l N east a}．一 si arty Talks

‘ ● Institution of ：

_ h

： ●。 · active participation ：

： mo ；ratemoderate participation ’ ⋯：， ：： 。、 ：： 。 ▲一， ： 一 ：

·‘一一 、、、、

J s。 廿1． ．'astAsia ! — 叫 south Asia I f I 10+1／10+3 · ● l

Mechanism ! l 【，0w ‘⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ‘

Figure I： China’s‘'neighboring diplomacy”model of institutions

How can the four models of China’S neighboring diplomacy be

explained?Why was China not involved in SAARC until 2005．and then

in a limited and cautious way,while participating in the foundation of

SCO in 1 996 with great initiative and committed to promoting the

development of SCO?Part of the reason lies in the geo—political and

geo．economic characteristics of each sub。region and the sharp differences

in their strategic significance to China．However,a more important reason

iS that the diplomatic interaction and national interests of China and the

U．S．are different in the four sub．regions．

In the four sub—regions of China’S neighboring diplomacy,China has

made it a priority to have good relations with the United States．The

United States’involvement in the world affects almost every part of the

world an d the four sub．regions on China’S periphery are no exception．

China clearly recogn izes that Sino．American relations concern the overall

security environment of China’S neighboring regions．So China is moving

cautiously by not challenging U．S．power and not having direct influence．

Robert SuRe~a US Asian specialist makes the comment that China seems‘‘anxious

to find ways that China’S rising influence in Asia and world affairs can be seen as

not challenges to US power and influence”．See Robert SuRer,‘‘China’S regional

strategy and America，”in David Shambaugh，ed．，Power Shift China and Asia's New Dynamics，Berkeley：University of Califomia Press，2006，P．29 1．

108 C Vo1．19 No．5

China'sNewNeighboringDiplomacy

China hopes to improve and develop friendly relations with neighboring

countries through maintaining and developing sound relations with the

United States．At the same time，China hopes to achieve a sound

interaction between its neighboring diplomacy and Sino—American

relations guided by a good neighbor policy．

China and the United States have a complex relationship of

competition and cooperation，especially in China’S neighboring Asian

region．Although the tw o countries are in competition with each other,

their shared interests leave a large space for cooperation．Overall，they

share common interests in upholding regional security and stability,

preventing terrorism and the proliferation of WMD．maintaining the

security of marine channels，guaranteeing regional economic prosperity,

and managing regional disaster relief．

It Can be seen that these common interests will forge complex links

betw een China an d the United States that will be beneficial for upholding

the peace and stability of Asia．Since the end of Cold War,China has

handled U．S．interests in Asia well and has responded reasonably to the

United States’Asian diplomacy．In this way,China and the United States

have achieved a compatible coexistence in Asia．Compatibility and

coexistence betw een China an d the United States in Asia iS the

fundamental way for China to achieve effective progress in the new stage，

and is the essence of the new think ing of China’S neighboring diplomacy．

Figure II： Compatibility and coexistence between China and the U．S．in Asia

In the future，multilateral institutions will be important theoretical

gu idelines for China’S diplomatic strategy in its neighboring areas．The

CIR Sept．／Oct．2009 l09

Qi Huaigao

attainment of compatibility and coexistence between China and the United

States in Asia is the key point in China’S new thinking about neighboring

diplomacy．China will achieve common development with its neighbonng

countries through flexible regional multilateral diplomacy and a good

handling ofthe U．S．’S interests in Asia in order to iointly create a peaceful，

prosperous and harmonious Asia as well as a harmonious world．

110 C V01．19 No．5