Introducing a re-conceptualized hedging framework, this book analyses the relations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the middle powers Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam with China in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The book provides a brief overview of the development of the relationships between the Southeast Asian states, ASEAN and China since 1989. The author argues that ASEAN and the majority of the Southeast Asian governments pursue a hedging strategy towards the rising China. They seek closer economic relations with Beijing, while maintaining strong security relations with Washington and also try to involve Japan. Hedging expands the strategic options of small and middle powers which are in Neorealism often restricted to bandwagoning and balancing. A hedging strategy, however, can simultaneously contain both elements of bandwagoning (e.g., in economics) and balancing (e.g., in security affairs). By examining the relations of ASEAN, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam with China and the US and Japan, the book puts forward a new, re-conceptualized hedging concept that combines foreign and security policy with economics.
Adding significant new empirical knowledge, the book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of to the field of International Relations, Security Studies, Political Geography, Economics, History and Asian Studies.
Author(s): Alfred Gerstl
Series: Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 162
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of tables
List of abbreviations
Foreword
Abstract
1 The Belt and Road Initiative, Southeast Asia, and the South China Sea – an overview
1.1 Introduction of the topic and research questions
1.2 The Belt and Road Initiative
1.3 Southeast Asia in the BRI
1.4 The South China Sea dispute
2 The theoretical-methodological framework: a re-conceptualized hedging concept
2.1 Hedging – a plurality of concepts
2.2 Introducing a re-conceptualized hedging concept
2.3 Application of hedging on Southeast Asia: Introductory remarks
3 ASEAN’s hedging strategy towards China
3.1 Introduction
3.2 ASEAN’s relations with China
3.3 ASEAN’s hedging strategy – a strategy without alternatives
3.3.1 ASEAN’s perceptions of risks and opportunities
3.3.2 Political-diplomatic engagement
3.3.3 Economic engagement
3.3.4 Limited balancing
3.3.5 Limited bandwagoning
3.4 Conclusion
4 Malaysia’s hedging strategy towards China under Mahathir Mohamad 2.0
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Malaysia, the BRI, and the South China Sea dispute
4.3 Malaysia’s cohesive hedging strategy
4.3.1 Mahathir’s perceptions of risks and opportunities
4.3.2 Political-diplomatic engagement
4.3.3 Economic engagement
4.3.4 Limited balancing
4.3.5 Limited bandwagoning
4.4 Conclusion
5 The Philippines’s hedging strategy towards China under Rodrigo Duterte
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Philippines, the BRI, and the South China Sea dispute
5.3 The Philippines’s reactive hedging strategy
5.3.1 Duterte’s perceptions of risks and opportunities
5.3.2 Political-diplomatic engagement
5.3.3 Economic engagement
5.3.4 Limited balancing
5.3.5 Limited bandwagoning
5.4 Conclusion
6 Vietnam’s hedging strategy towards China
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Vietnam, the BRI, and the South China Sea dispute
6.3 Vietnam’s robust hedging strategy
6.3.1 Vietnam’s perceptions of risks and opportunities
6.3.2 Political-diplomatic engagement
6.3.3 Economic engagement
6.3.4 Limited balancing
6.3.5 Limited bandwagoning
6.4 Conclusion
7 Conclusion: similarities and differences of the four hedging strategies
References
Index
