The last decade witnessed a persistent rise in expressions of omnidirectional apprehension among Southeast Asian nations as a group (ASEAN) and China. The United States and its Northeast Asian treaty allies are either white elephants in the room or on the front-line of disputes. There seems to be attraction in the proverbial choice for ASEAN (and its member states) to make between China and the United States as the ultimate guarantor of security. Viewed from Beijing, Zha argues that such a conceptualization fails to reduce insecurities and fears in the region.
The talk is an update of the speaker’s presentation on the same topic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington, in late November 2016.