ABSTRACT
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is praised by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as one of the most successful regional institutions in the world. This chapter applies institutional balancing theory to examine ASEAN's institutional responses to China's rise in various regional economic and security institutions in the post-Cold War era. First It discusses two structural changes brought by the rise of China in the system, namely the power transition to a post-unipolar world and the deepening economic interdependence in the Asia Pacific. Next it examines three challenges ASEAN is facing in the context of China's rise: the taking-sides dilemma, the irrelevance worry, and the flash-point danger. Finally it appies institutional balancing theory to discuss how ASEAN has used various economic and security institutions to cope with the rise of China. It is still debatable what kind of international order will emerge in the post-unipolar world in the context of China's rise.
