China-ASEAN Multilateral Platforms in Security Cooperation

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3.2. Security Cooperation

3.2.1. China-ASEAN Multilateral Platforms in Security Cooperation China and ASEAN decided to implement the “2+7 cooperation framework” in 2013. The framework indicates two-point political consensus and seven proposals for cooperation. The two-point political consensus was held on the basis of intensification of political and security cooperation and economic development between China and ASEAN, while The seven-point proposal includes the areas in the political field, business, connectivity, finance, maritime cooperation, security and the people-to-people, scientific and environmental field for further cooperation. In the framework, China expects to formulate a strategy for expansion of China-ASEAN cooperation, both sides decided to start the third plan of action (2016-2020) of the China-ASEAN Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity. China also offers a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to facilitate China-ASEAN maritime cooperation. Besides, China encouraged ASEAN defense ministers to discuss the establishment of a China-ASEAN defense hotline and hold joint exercises at the informal

ASEAN-China Defense Ministers’ Meeting in 2014 to ensure “double security”

in traditional and nontraditional areas.

There are several cooperative platforms between China and ASEAN, including EAS, ARF, the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus.

All of them build regional security extension. At the second EAS annual summit, 16 member nations signed the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security.

All members agreed to promote energy security and find substitutes for conventional fuels. The Declaration aims to provide eventual instability of energy supplies. As to the ARF, the forum makes a push to move multilateral

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security cooperation in fields of preventive diplomacy, confidence-building, and counterterrorism, which encourages transparency in military-to-military

cooperation. (Cossa, 2010)

The Chinese National People’s Congress approved the country to join TAC in June 2003, but officially acceded to the treaty in 2005. The treaty aims to establish a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity though friendly relations among states in Southeast Asia. On the 7^th ASEAN+1 Ministerial Meeting, the then Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao lay an emphasis on promoting peace and prosperity by deepening cooperation in all-round in his speech. He indicated that Chinese government would be engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation with ASEAN in specific fields. China and ASEAN are expected to strengthen the bilateral political dialogue to effectively perform dialogue and consultation mechanisms at the different levels. Both sides hoped to deepen economic and trade relations to accelerate the development in finance, service, investment, agriculture and IT industry. Besides, the two sides also look forward to security cooperation to maintain regional stability, and scientific and technological exchanges to complement each other with respective advantages.

On the other hand, China advocated the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), which intended to increase resources in the development of the Mekong Basin.

To support the IAI, China constructed of the Laotian section of

Kunming-Bangkok Highway, and sponsored missing link of the Pan-Asia Railway inside Cambodia in 2006. Since China placed importance on economic development in ASEAN, the country planned to make use of China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund to expand bilateral cooperation on human resources development. Also, to ensure the smooth cooperation with ASEAN, China

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accelerated East Asia cooperation within the ASEAN+3 mechanisms. The diplomatic relations between both sides was, in retrospect, based on animosity due to the difference in political ideology. Today, China still has territorial disputes with some ASEAN states over SCS. But, China also needs the support from its neighboring nations to safeguard its interests in this region. Therefore, China attached importance to good-neighborly relations with ASEAN through TAC for its contribution to peace and stability in the area.

China, along with the other big power, U.S., looks forward to maintain the positive relations for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, allowing all the regional countries to share the benefits. But in addition to closer interactions among the big countries, the involvement of small countries in the region is also necessary for the security and stability in the Asia-Pacific. In this regard, the ADMM-Plus thus plays a vital role in regional security cooperation to balance the interests between the big and small countries. The first meeting of

ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October 2010 with the participation of 10 ASEAN member countries and their 8 dialogue partners. Compared with other existing regional security cooperation mechanisms, the ADMM-Plus owns some distinctive features. First, the ADMM-Plus is the most representative and the only top level regional defense ministries-led multilateral defense and security cooperation mechanism. Secondly, ASEAN is predominant in the ADMM-Plus. The ASEAN-led mechanism is a cooperative platform that mutual respect and mutual trust are the precondition for further cooperation between China and the ASEAN, which will intensify capability of the dialogue. Thirdly, the ADMM-Plus keeps up with the changing trend in the Asia-Pacific; it will be engaged to the diverse regional defense as well as security threats and

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cooperation in non-traditional security sectors. In accordance with the spirit of the ADMM-Plus, the People’s Liberation Army personnel sent by China to assist at the first ADMM-Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and

Military Medicine Exercise in Brunei. Lastly, the cooperative mechanism is a positive force in regional security cooperation, focusing on practical cooperation through joint defense and security exercises. This type of security cooperative pattern supports countries in the region to cooperate in non-traditional sectors and share common interests.

3.2.2. China’s New Security Concept (NSC) and Southeast Asia