In this webinar, Dr Chheang Vannarith explored the interests and intentions of China and the responses of the Mekong countries with regard to China’s concept of building a Community with a Shared Future.
REGIONAL SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES PROGRAMME
Thursday, 13 September 2021 – Dr Chheang Vannarith (Visiting Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute) presented a webinar on the interests and intentions of China and the responses of the Mekong countries concerning China’s concept of building a Community with a Shared Future (CSF). Dr Michael Montesano (Coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme and Co-Coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute) moderated the webinar.
Dr Chheang first identified the Mekong region as a new growth centre and a strategic frontier in Southeast Asia. He then explained that since the eighteenth party congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, the concept has become one of the core doctrines and principles guiding China’s foreign policy in the new era.
Next, Dr Chheang listed the instances when China’s vision for a ‘community of shared future’ (CSF) was mentioned, such as during 2013: Xi Jinping’s speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2013 and during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017. He also discussed whether China is a visionist power and provided an overview of the evolution of China’s foreign policy doctrine. He agreed that China is becoming more assertive and will revise or reform-not replace- the liberal international order. China wishes to build a more inclusive and fair global governance.
Reactions from the Mekong Region has been varied. Dr Chheang argued that Cambodia and Laos are the two leading proponents of China’s regional initiative. In 2019, Cambodia and Laos signed the bilateral action plan with China to realize the Community with a Shared Future. Myanmar agreed in principle but has not signed the action. On the other hand, Thailand and Vietnam appear to have certain reservations but are willing to cooperate with China to build a Community of Shared Future.
It can be assumed that the concept will gain more pre-eminence in China’s foreign policy towards the region, and it also partially normatively and materially shapes the evolving regional architecture and regional cooperation. Regarding Cambodia in particular, Dr Chheang delved into the Cambodia-China Action Plan 2019-2023. He discussed the key components of political, security, economic and cultural cooperation as mentioned in the action plan.
Dr Vannarith reiterated in his conclusion that China’s proposed ‘Community with a Shared Future’ is one of the key concepts of China’s foreign policy; CSF is normatively and materially shaping regional order/architecture’ and that Lower Mekong countries have generally expressed their support to the proposal, but at varying degrees.
Dr Montesano then moderated the Question and Answer segment which engaged the audience. The audience wrote in questions such as whether the coup in Myanmar affected the action plan negotiation; whether the action plan is more driven by the domestic development of Chinese Southwest areas or it is more like a grand strategy to achieve geopolitical goals; and why ASEAN appears to concentrate more on the South China Sea issue than the Mekong river management conflict. Over 60 people attended this webinar.