It’s a beautiful day in China’s neighborhood

One of the themes of the book I’ve been working on (and on… and on, and on…) is that great powers create regional intergovernmental organizations that allow these states to advance their regulatory and political preferences among the most vulnerable states they can find. I label these kind of international governmental organizations as “neighborhoods.” Looks ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

One of the themes of the book I've been working on (and on... and on, and on...) is that great powers create regional intergovernmental organizations that allow these states to advance their regulatory and political preferences among the most vulnerable states they can find. I label these kind of international governmental organizations as "neighborhoods." Looks like China is trying to create its own neighborhood, according to the AP:

One of the themes of the book I’ve been working on (and on… and on, and on…) is that great powers create regional intergovernmental organizations that allow these states to advance their regulatory and political preferences among the most vulnerable states they can find. I label these kind of international governmental organizations as “neighborhoods.” Looks like China is trying to create its own neighborhood, according to the AP:

Rising power China moved Monday to expand its influence in a region long dominated by the United States, signing an accord with Southeast Asian nations aimed at creating the world’s largest free trade area by 2010 — a sprawling market of nearly 2 billion people. China’s concerns about securing vital sea lanes and feeding its booming economy’s ravenous appetite for oil and raw materials were seen as key motivations for the trade pact with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the group’s annual summit in Laos…. “China is using its huge market as a bait to lure ASEAN countries away from U.S. and Japan and build closer relations,” said Chao Chien-min, a China watcher and political science professor at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University. “I think what Beijing has in mind is to forge good economic and trade relations now and then increase exchanges in other areas, particularly in the military and security arena,” Chao said.

No need to hyperventilate — as the story notes, the U.S. remains the primary economic presence in the region. This is more interesting as a harbinger of the future.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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