China e ASEAN

É significativo o anúncio do acordo de liberalização do comércio de serviços entre a China e a Associação das Nações do Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN), cinco anos depois de um entedimento semelhante destinado às trocas comerciais de bens.
Olhando para a big picture, em termos geo-políticos e tendo em conta a economia política internacional, Sheng Lijun escreve na Yale Global que,

"China has gained its influence in Southeast Asia less by ‘muscles’ and more by skillfully exploiting changes in the international and regional environment, absent any wise and strong US engagement with the region,”

Para o sinólogo norte-americano David Shambaugh,

"Integrating China into the regional order has been a long-standing goal of ASEAN, Japan, and the United States. Now that this is occurring, the United States and China’s neighbors should welcome China’s place at the regional table and the constructive role that Beijing is increasingly playing multilaterally in addressing regional challenges. If U.S. infuence declines in Asia while China’s rises relatively in regional problem solving, it will more reflect Washington’s aloofness than Beijing’s assertiveness".

In "China Engages Asia", International Security, Volume 29, Issue 3, Winter 2005.