ASEAN Coping Mechanisms to Manage the Rise of China

ASEAN has been proactive in reacting to the economic and political challenges of the rise of China without being overly hostile, reactionary or protectionist against China in a conscious effort to co-prosper with China herself. At the same time, smaller ASEAN neighbours of China hope that China will continue to pursue a policy of good neighbourliness. With this background in mind, the thesis questions for the essay are: what are ASEAN’s coping mechanisms to manage the rise of China? How do these questions feature into the overall tussle of ideas between realists and non-realists?