The People's Republic of China and her relations with the countries of the association of Southeast Asian nations : 1969-1975

摘要

Phe Ihesis examines the evolution of the -policies ofthe People fs Jtenublie of China towards J?hail°nd, PTal ysia,Singapore, Iidonesia pad the Philip-pines, organised inthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations from 1969 to 1975•2ze first central point of this study is an *ir sumptionthat the foreign relations of The People's Tepublic ofChi la Towards Southeast ^sia have been motivated by adynamic interplay of t^o main factors: (1) Farxist-Leninistideology and ICao J^e-tung Ph^ught, which dictate to Chinato behave as a revolutionary Dover vhich must assist theinsurgent movements in the area in their strug fle to overthrowthe local governments; (2) national interest, vhichdemands of China to safeguard the southern flank of herterritory bordering on Southerst 'sia through Friendly relations,trade and ot*»er conventional inrtniments of diplomacy.hile the tvo main motive factors are nuTually antagonisticand exclusivet the Chinere leaders are neverthelessat te mi ting to oring them iirco a coherent policy under Mao'stheory of tve {hniity of op-nosites," vhich believes that itis -possible to reconcile these co-posing tendencies into adynamic enuibrium through vhich both opnosites could bepromoted at the same time although not to the same extent*la other words, the Chinese leaders conceive the dynamicequilibrium as a continuum between them in a mix in whichone or the other orientation predominates in different•periods* Bins we might see China1 s conduct motivated in oneperiod by mostly ideological considerations at the expenseof the staire-to-state relations, then ve might see her policyin the middle of the continuum and suf ering from immo bill sineand just muddling through, or finally ?fe might see her emphasisingfriendly ties at the expense of support of revolutionarymovements at the other extreme -point of the spectrum*!fhe mechanism vhich enables Peking to move from onepole to the other of the spectrum is activated by thefollowing elementsJ (1) the result of an internal powerstruggle within the leadership in Peking between ideologicallyradical and moderate elements, which enables the victoriousfaction to initiate nev policies; (2) Peking's assessmentof the changing intentions and capabilities of the majorpowers in the area; (3) internal changes within the countriesof the area and the changing attitudes of theirgovernments towards China; (4) changing fortunes of revolutionarymovements operating in the area*'Phe second major point of this study is an assertionthat while China's conduct toward Southeast *lsia after herfoundation in 1949 was primarily based upon ideologicalconsiderations, the beginning of the seventies saw thenational interest reasserting itself as the leading motivefactor* Thus China talks with her neighbours in Southeastasia in terms of relevance of fllong historical ties,"casting herself into the role of a benevolent "older brother11who is entitled to reopect and deference in exchange forpatronage and protection* Hence the traditional echoesof the past are emerging ever stronger and influencingher postures towards the region, while the open supportto revolutionary moevments is underplayed at the moment.