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Hiding behind the Tribute: Status, Symbol, and Power in Sino-Southeast Asian Relations, Past and Present

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Interpreting China as a Regional and Global Power

Part of the book series: Politics and Development of Contemporary China Series ((PDCC))

Abstract

The rise of China is a phenomenon with global ramifications. Yet it is in its immediate neighborhood that Beijing’s newfound clout is most strongly felt. Virtually all East Asian countries are now heavily dependent on their trade with China for their own economic development, while at the same time they consider a continued US presence necessary for regional stability. This shared foreign policy dilemma is deeply engrained in the strategic outlook of Southeast Asian countries. In the face of growing regional volatility, fueled by geopolitical competition among great powers, these many countries have displayed a variety of stances and policies, most of them having in common the objective of not choosing one partner (whether China or the US) over the other. This goal of decoupling their fate from the ups and downs of the Sino-American relationship has been pursued through a series of initiatives designed to foster connections to neighboring countries through multilateral platforms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or bilaterally, as a way to bolster their security outlook. Inclusive strategies, however varied their modalities may be, thus seem to be the favored responses of regional countries to a changing environment. For many authors this stems from a logic of ‘hedging’,1 a concept put forward as a better way to account for recent developments in the Asia-Pacific strategic environment than the oft-favored ‘balancingbandwagoning’ dichotomy.2

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Notes

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  1. Bruno Hellendorff
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium

    Bart Dessein (Professor of Chinese Language and Culture) (Professor of Chinese Language and Culture)

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© 2014 Bruno Hellendorff

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Hellendorff, B. (2014). Hiding behind the Tribute: Status, Symbol, and Power in Sino-Southeast Asian Relations, Past and Present. In: Dessein, B. (eds) Interpreting China as a Regional and Global Power. Politics and Development of Contemporary China Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137450302_9

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