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Chinese ASEAN foreign policy of Charm and Coercion

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  Where does Beijing see starting points for winning over individual states or even ASEAN as a whole? Which states does Beijing rate as particularly approachable here?     China has been using a sort of pull and push policy in handing ASEAN countries. It “push” and advance its position on issues at the expense of ASEAN giving the priority of its interest like in the case of South China Sea territorial claims and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. It gradually “pull” ASEAN countries closer to its orbit closer comprehensive relationship employing both soft diplomacy and agreements like recent Covid vaccine diplomacy and seeking support in managing US influence in the region. This is calibrated effectively with coercion and charm and mutually reinforced making it difficult for states to challenge and to absorb shortcomings and At the same time, every incremental “push” gradually shores up China’s position down the line and alters the status quo in its favour, further convincing ASEAN st
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ASEAN Positioning in China-US Rivalry

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How do the ASEAN member states position themselves in the conflict between USA and China? How do they try to use the mixed situation for their own interests?   The position of ASEAN in a conflict between the two superpowers needs to be understood from a socio-historical and political perspective. For Western powers, there is a Eurocentric approach in interpreting situations in the universal conception of the Westphalian nation-state, international law and universal standards while viewing non-western practises as something inferior and needing to conform to their norms to be acceptable. Much of geopolitics today is viewed and analysed as the extension of this view. In contrast, ASEAN regionalism is conceptualised from a decolonisation and nation-building perspective. It largely depends on old treaties like FDPA 1971 a 50-year Défense agreement with the bilateral relationship of cooperation between Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and UK to consult each other immediately
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