24 September 2014
Impact of the Sino-Japanese Competitive Relationship on ASEAN as a Region and Institution
Opening Remarks
Bhubhindar Singh, RSIS
Bhubhindar Singh highlighted two reasons for the importance of the roundtable’s topic, “Impact of the Sino-Japanese Competitive Relationship on ASEAN as a Region and Institution.” First, the Sino-Japanese relationship is one of the biggest challenges for East Asia and Southeast Asia today. Following the collision between a Chinese fishing trawler and Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in September 2010, and Japan’s nationalisation of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in September 2012, tensions had escalated in most areas of bilateral relations. The responses from China and Japan have been to strengthen economic, military and diplomatic strategies against each other. Second, given that both China and Japan were dialogue partners of ASEAN, they had also enhanced their respective relations with the ASEAN institution and its member states. ASEAN’s central role in the competitive strategies of China and Japan was thus in the spotlight.
Consequently, the roundtable aimed to assess the impact of the Sino-Japanese rivalry on ASEAN and its member states in three main areas: major power competition on specific bilateral relationships; maritime security; as well as regionalism and institution building. The questions posed for the roundtable discussion were: (i) what was the impact of the Sino-Japanese competition on Southeast Asia/ASEAN; and (ii) how was Southeast Asia/ASEAN coping with the competitive relations between Japan and China?
Opening Remarks
Bhubhindar Singh, RSIS
Bhubhindar Singh highlighted two reasons for the importance of the roundtable’s topic, “Impact of the Sino-Japanese Competitive Relationship on ASEAN as a Region and Institution.” First, the Sino-Japanese relationship is one of the biggest challenges for East Asia and Southeast Asia today. Following the collision between a Chinese fishing trawler and Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats in September 2010, and Japan’s nationalisation of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in September 2012, tensions had escalated in most areas of bilateral relations. The responses from China and Japan have been to strengthen economic, military and diplomatic strategies against each other. Second, given that both China and Japan were dialogue partners of ASEAN, they had also enhanced their respective relations with the ASEAN institution and its member states. ASEAN’s central role in the competitive strategies of China and Japan was thus in the spotlight.
Consequently, the roundtable aimed to assess the impact of the Sino-Japanese rivalry on ASEAN and its member states in three main areas: major power competition on specific bilateral relationships; maritime security; as well as regionalism and institution building. The questions posed for the roundtable discussion were: (i) what was the impact of the Sino-Japanese competition on Southeast Asia/ASEAN; and (ii) how was Southeast Asia/ASEAN coping with the competitive relations between Japan and China?
