Counterterrorism Cooperation between China, ASEAN, and Southeast Asian Countries: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Direction

Rommel C. Banlaoi

《The China Review An Interdisciplinary Journal on Greater China》 21卷4期 (2021/11) Pp. 141-170

摘要

Though China's dialogue relations with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began in 1991 right after the end of the Cold War, counterterrorism cooperation between China and ASEAN and between China and ASEAN member states (AMS) only got more serious attention in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks. China collaborated with ASEAN and AMS in counterterrorism to address their common security anxieties against terrorist groups operating in China and Southeast Asia with existing linkages with each other established by al-Qaeda. The rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2014 further encouraged China to promote counterterrorism cooperation with ASEAN and AMS, especially after some terrorist groups in China and Southeast Asia pledged their allegiance to ISIS. Using a neoliberal theory of international relations, this article examines the current status of counterterrorism cooperation between China, ASEAN, and AMS and presents their present achievements in this field. It also dissects the nature of counterterrorism cooperation between China, ASEAN, and AMS by discussing their existing mechanisms and current efforts. Finally, this article identifies some challenges in their counterterrorism cooperation and examines the future direction of this cooperation toward the strengthening of neighborhood diplomacy between China and ASEAN and between China and AMS.