Non-Traditional Security in Southeast Asia: Trends and Issues

國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

activities could be a counterbalance against the U.S. Consequently, China put multilateralism as the main element to its NSC to obtain an alternative to forge an alliance with the U.S. while it considers U.S.-Philippines treaty and the U.S.-Thailand defense commitment as weak bonds. (Thayer, 2003) 3.3. The Potential Security Threats in Southeast Asia

3.3.1. Non-Traditional Security in Southeast Asia: Trends and Issues With the expansion of globalization, China and ASEAN members have encountered the non-traditional security problems. (Collins, 2003) These emerging non-traditional security threats arising out of non-military sources in both China and Southeast Asia would be challenges to the well-being of states, such as terrorism, contagious diseases, irregular migration, food security, human smuggling, drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime. Owing to globalization and the information revolution, most of them arise at a very fast pace. (Caballero-Anthony, 2010) The following are common non-traditional security threats.

Terrorism

Terrorism is the main threat among ASEAN states, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand in particular. After 911 incident, terrorism became the key issue of non-traditional security threatening the world and emerged as the main security challenge to ASEAN states. Southeast Asia has thus been considered by the U.S. to be the second battlefield to combat against terrorism. China and ASEAN states released Joint Declaration of ASEAN and China on Cooperation in the Field of Non-traditional Security Issues in 2002 and signed Memorandum of Understanding Between The Governments of the Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) And The Government of the

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

P a g e | 42  

People’s Republic of China On Cooperation in the Field of Non-traditional Security Issues in 2004, aiming to fight against drug trafficking, illegal immigrant, privacy, terrorism, weapons smuggling, money laundry and cybercrime.

Epidemic

When severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) broke out in East Asia in 2003, some Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Singapore were identified by WHO as the areas with recent local transmission of SARS. The economy of Southeast Asia was thus severely damaged.

Maritime Security

The Southeast Asian Waters, including Strait of Malacca, are the places where piracy is the most rampant. According to International Maritime Bureau, approximately 800 pirate attacks, half of them happened at the ports and waters of Southeast Asia from 2003 to 2004. Moreover, the level of violence in attacks continues to rise.

Environmental Security

Take the example of forest fire in Indonesia in 1997; it resulted in smog, which the pollutants had heavily influenced Indonesia and its neighboring states, especially Malaysia and Singapore. The total loss reached 9.3 billion dollars.

Consequently, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines urged Indonesia to correspondingly apply strategies for the pollution through ASEAN regional cooperative mechanism.

Energy Security

With the rising economic growth among ASEAN members, the consumption of oil has also been rapidly increasing. As a result, the issue of energy security

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

regarding high and growing dependence on oil imports becomes crucial to the countries like the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. Moreover, the price of crude oil has greatly increased, severely damaging the economy of

mentioned-above countries.

Transnational Crimes

Transnational crimes in Southeast Asia are rampant, like drugs production and smuggling at the Golden Triangle at the Thai-Myanmar border, the smuggling of small arms and light weapons in the Philippines and Cambodia, trafficking in women and children in the Philippines, Thailand and India, human trafficking between India and Malaysia as well as between Thailand and Cambodia, and armed pillage in the Strait of Malacca and Indonesia waters. And the

consequences have a bad influence on political stability, economic development, and social unrest in ASEAN states, which thus becomes one of the important issues among ASEAN nations.

Non-traditional security issues have shown that insecurity among Southeast Asian people could potentially undermine the ASEAN region. With the emergence of non-traditional security threats, the call for multilateralism

becomes urgent to foster cooperation between China and Southeast Asia through ASEAN-based multilateral institutions such as ARF, APT and EAS.

As the representative in non-traditional security, terrorism gradually threatens the world after 911 incident. Compared with China, ASEAN countries have been threatened by terrorism for many years because of the large Muslim population.

Southeast Asia is thus considered the second battlefield on terrorism by the U.S.

In 2002, China and ASEAN countries also issued “Joint Declaration of ASEAN and China on Cooperation in the Field of Non-traditional Security Issues”, and

‧ 國

立 政 治 大 學

‧

N a tio na

l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y

P a g e | 44  

signed “ASEAN-China Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Non-Traditional Security Issues” in 2004. Under the declaration and the MOU, China and ASEAN aim to combat terrorism, drug smuggling, illegal immigration, privacy, money laundry and cybercrime. In the meanwhile, China and ASEAN also seek bilateral, multilateral and international cooperation. The U.S. global anti-terror strategy enhances China-ASEAN anti-terror relations.

Plus, China’s stabilizing economic development intensifies China-ASEAN anti-terror relations in the field of non-traditional security. The cooperation in non-traditional security between China and ASEAN will be long-lasting.

3.3.2. China’s Land Boundary Issues with Vietnam and Myanmar