China-ASEAN Relations and the Asia-Pacific Regionalism(s)

Abstract

China-ASEAN Relations developed very fast in the past 20 years since the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations were launched in 1991. The rapid, comprehensive and in-depth growth of the bilateral relations between ASEAN and China is beneficial to both China and ASEAN member countries. My focus here, however, will not concentrate on neither side of China nor ASEAN, but try to elaborate a role of China-ASEAN bilateral relations, that is its contribution to the proliferating multi-national collaborations in East Asia and Asia-Pacific. My argument is that the China-ASEAN bilateral relations have become the engine for the development of various regionalism(s) in Asia-Pacific. However, the quick development of Asia-Pacific Regionalism(s) is posing new challenges to China-ASEAN Relations. The first part of this short essay briefly goes over the development of China-ASEAN Relations in the past 20 years by listing the chronology of China-ASEAN Relations. The second part talks about the rise and development of Asia-Pacific Regionalism(s). The conclusion is that China-ASEAN bilateral relations caused and motivated the proliferation of Asia-Pacific Regionalism(s).