ABSTRACT
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are two gigantic entities in the Asia-Pacific region, and their interaction will to a great extent affect the future and prospects of the entire region.1 After the establishment of diplomatic ties with Singapore and Brunei in 1991, China now enjoys official relations with all of the ASEAN states. Sino-ASEAN relations have been the subject of many stud ies since that time.2 One of the most common arguments encountered in the literature is that the success or failure of the relations will to a large extent depend on the political will of both sides and the perception of each other as allies or rivals. At present, both sides are working strenuously at confidence-building measures to reassure the other party of their sincere desire to maintain a mutually beneficial, cooperative relationship.
