ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the perspectives of Vietnamese and Indonesian elites towards China and the extent to which effforts to promote a positive Chinese national image have been successful in these two countries. Utilizing information gathered from fιeld research, I argue that both countries perceive China as attempting to modify – not entirely revise – the rules of the international system to suit its purposes. Territorial issues remain a primary focus in the two countries’ relationships with China, and they also express concerns that China’s growing influence will cause an unstable regional environment. Interviewees also expressed considerable doubt about the idea of Chinese exceptionalism and tended to perceive China as acting like any other big power.
