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High Speed Rail Affirmative Politics Elections Link Turns UTNIF 2012
Relations BadRelations bad – ASEAN mod***US-China Relations increase cultural and economic tensions via ASEAN Adam Wade Matteson, Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Professors of Contemporary Chinese Foreign Policy,“The ASEAN Split: Why Southeast Asian Nations Are Being Divided by China and the United States”, Shanghai Jiaotong University, January 8, 2014, file:///C:/Users/KLu/Downloads/The_ASEAN_Split_Why_Southeast_Asian_Nati.pdf One might be tempted to believe that ASEAN countries would be more likely to bandwagon with China, and less likely to align strategically with the U.S. After all, ASEAN countries seem more similar to China culturally, the countries share a region and borders in some cases, and there is a large population of overseas Chinese living in ASEAN countries. However, these observations do not necessarily lead to peaceful China-ASEAN relations. On closer inspection there are more cultural, geographic, and demographic differences than there are commonalities. One might be tempted to juxtaposition China-ASEAN relations with U.S.-Europe relations. It would seem logical ASEAN, a group of neighboring countries, might choose to align with China, their Eastern power, just as the Western powers have aligned with each other. But the cultural differences between China and ASEAN countries, as well as the differences between individual ASEAN countries, should not be underestimated. Their complex histories notwithstanding, modern policies on human rights and democracy make it hard to find similarities. It might also be tempting to argue that ASEAN countries hold a grudge to either the U.S. or China due to previous historical conflicts. Though this may be the case in Sino-Japanese relations, it does not necessarily hold true here. If it did, Vietnam would not be so willing to accept John Kerry, a purple-heart winning Vietnam War veteran and current U.S. Secretary of State, back into the country with open arms. (Johnson 2013) (U.S. Department of State n.d.) The distances between individual ASEAN countries make it difficult for them to integrate. The ten different nations are spread out between the Indian and Pacific Oceans; furthermore many are made up of poor populations who have little contact with foreign countries. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity all play important roles in the countries, some of whom have had wars with each other. (CIA World Factbook n.d.) A large percentage of the population of many Southeast Asian countries is made up of overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese account for. This “bamboo network” is responsible for controlling large parts of industries such as manufacturing, banking, transportation, retail and construction. Many start out as family-run businesses with capital coming from mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, and are built up into dominant enterprises. (Quinlan 2007) But this diaspora of does not necessarily lead to better China-ASEAN relations. In fact, key ASEAN industries being controlled by Chinese investment can often lead to resentment. As one observer put it, “while overseas Chinese may be well endowed financially, their considerable wealth often evokes unwanted attention and jealousy. As it is, overseas Chinese are frequently the target of envy and scorn. Instead of being a boon, wealth paradoxically became the bane of overseas Chinese in their respective countries. It is only after an arduous process of nation-building that overseas Chinese are integrated with the local community.” (Beng 2002) Download 357.18 Kb. Share with your friends:
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