Mainly, Thuy’s writing talks about a softened approach done by China after the ARF, where the assumed Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton conveyed a speech proposing freedom of navigation, open access to Asia‘s maritime commons, and respect for international law in the South China Sea.[13] Clinton’s move seemed to inflict a force that make China re-calculate its position.[14] It sparked debates among Chinese military strategist that for the time being, continuing firm stances towards the claim was not the wisest move for it would trigger conflicts with USA’s neighboring countries.[15] That follows with Hu Zhengyue, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, administers a new concept of security in which China will play a “constructive role”.[16] He also stated that China will put its best efforts in resolving important international and regional issues without the use of military force, but by cooperation.[17] What Hadi misses and Thuy does not is the process on how exactly China release the emphasizing on security issues and move on to economic cooperation. With USA standing beside them, all ASEAN countries, including the claimant states and non-claimant states have a power that can be used to face China, a great power they cannot face alone. In fact, as Hadi portrays in his article, China offers a commitment of economic cooperation instead of threatening with more assertive moves.
We can also compare Hadi’s article with an article by Lalita Boonpriwan, titled “The South China Sea dispute: Evolution, Conflict Management and Resolution”. Boonpriwan argues that the settlement of this dispute is complex and cannot be resolved through only an approach, for the claims are based on varied motives and reasons.[18] She also remarks the importance of ASEAN’s role in the settlement, because it has been involved in the issue since 1990.[19] However, the claimant states have to choices in order to resolve the dispute: through military force or negotiations. Since ot all claimant countries hold the possession of equal capabilities, particularly in terms of military power, multilateral negotiations is the only choice.[20] This is when USA plays its role as a generator of feeling of security between China and ASEAN and vice versa.[21] She also states that Confidence Building Measures are important in the settlement, where agreement is an important instrument to build trust and limit escalation of the conflict.[22] As we can see the 2010 ARF in Hanoi produced documents containing action plans to resolve the conflict. Making USA playing an active role in the settlement can bring about a sense of security amongst the disputing states. China has built more capabilities that cannot be compared with the claimant states’ capabilities, thus USA is needed to build trust and make the negotiations work. We can see the result as depicted in Hadi’s writing: China’s shift of focus from security to economics.
Conclusion
From the comparisons and analyses above, we can conclude that there are some points that are missing in Hadi’s article addressing how ASEAN’s strategy in dealing with South China Sea dispute will not exacerbate the relations between Indonesia and China. It is in fact is not harming the relations, but the lacking of the explanation behind that leaves the readers at an unanswered question on why it is so. If that part was explained by Hadi, then his article can be very comprehensive for it provides everything: the overview of the dispute, ASEAN and how it affects Indonesian foreign policy, and how Indonesia responded in the changing circumstances of the post-global-crisis world.
REFERENCES
Boonpriwan, Lalita. “The South China Sea dispute: Evolution, Conflict Management and Resolution.” The International Conference on International Relations, (2012) p. 1-17
Hadi, Syamsul. “Indonesia, ASEAN, and the Rise of China: Indonesia in the Midst of East Asia’s Dynamics, in The Post-Global Crisis World.” International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2012) p. 151-166.
Thuy, Trang Truon. “South China Sea Dispute: Implications of Recent Developments and Prospects for Coming Future.” Center for East Sea (South China Sea) Studies, (2011) p. 1-17
[1] Syamsul Hadi, “Indonesia, ASEAN, and the Rise of China: Indonesia in the Midst of East Asia’s Dynamics, in The Post-Global Crisis World”. International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2012), p. 151-166.
[2] Ibid., p. 157
