7 months ago
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Southeast Asia is playing an ever-growing part in China's investment and diplomatic decisions, particularly as Beijing's rivalry with Washington heats up. In the final instalment of a four-part series on China's ties with Asean, Hayley Wong looks at Beijing's efforts to expand defence cooperation in the region.
China is looking to forge closer defence ties with its Southeast Asian neighbours as it engages in a "competition for partnerships" with the United States in the region.
It comes as tensions have been soaring in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, where run-ins between Chinese and Philippine coastguards have intensified near disputed islands.
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In Southeast Asia, China has traditionally maintained more in-depth military relations with Cambodia and Laos. But this year it has sought to deepen ties with countries like Indonesia, Singapore and East Timor.
Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former People's Liberation Army instructor, said Beijing saw a growing need to build political trust with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
He said the US was holding more joint exercises in the South China Sea targeting "island disputes and China", and that it had "persuaded regional countries to get into confrontations" - a move he said was aimed at "slowing down" China's development.
China has repeatedly accused the US of emboldening its treaty ally the Philippines to conduct resupply missions to navy outposts near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and more recently Sabina Shoal.
The PLA has also stepped up patrols in the South China Sea, including in response to drills and other military activities by the US and its allies. Beijing claims almost all of the resource-rich waterway as its territory - claims that overlap with those of Asean members Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
There has been concern over the activities of Chinese military, coastguard and research vessels in the South China Sea - especially those within other countries' exclusive economic zones.
Meanwhile, Washington has sought to boost its defence cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies like Manila and Tokyo.
Six Asean members took part in the biennial US-led Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise in June and July, but China was excluded due to its "reluctance to adhere to international rules or norms and standards".
