Research On ASEAN's Policies To The East Asian Regional Cooperation After The Cold War

Today, the world is facing with the globalization process which is profound and challenging. In this process, East Asia is an active and attractive region in the international relations. The cooperation among the ASEAN countries, "10+1", "10 + 3" and the Free-Trade Area are rapidly developing. A cooperation regime which is more improved and substantial has been basically established in this region. In December 2005, the East Asia Summit that had been prepared for a long time opened in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia. It marked a new step in East Asian cooperation. In the cooperation, the suspicions between China and Japan create a good chance for ASEAN to smoothly implement the so-called "Equilibrium strategy among big countries". This made ASEAN become leader of the East Asian cooperation who is accepted by the other countries. ASEAN is not only the leading force in the Southeast Asia but also the important influence factor in the security and development of East Asia. The policies that ASEAN adopts in the cooperation will influence the welfare of East Asian countries and people. Therefore, the subject of the thesis is on the content, the causes and the features of ASEAN's policies to the East Asia cooperationThe thesis will be divided into four parts:The first part, as an introduction, mainly introduces the subject of this study and its value in theory and in practice, presents the current research situation of the subject, discusses the train of thought of the study, and finally makes clear the whole writing arrangement.The second part mainly discusses the origin and formation of ASEAN's policies. In this part, the process is divided into two stages: The original stage is the day of the Cold War after ASEAN was established. The post-Cold War era before the Asian Financial Crisis is the pursuit and forming stage. In the two stages, the policies include the ones to the cooperation between ASEAN countries and to East Asian cooperation. Then the causes of the formation are studied by the theory of level of analysis. The causes can be divided into three levels which include the international system, the relations between ASEAN and other countries of East Asia and the ASEAN unit.The third part mainly studies the adjustment and development of ASEAN's policies. This part first discusses the content of the adjustment after the Asian Financial Crisis happened. Then the influence of the adjustment to East Asian cooperation is studied. Finally, the theory of level of analysis is used to explain the causes of the adjustment.The forth part analyses the features, influence and existing problems of ASEAN's policies. The features are represented as taking an inevitable effect from America in spite of its trying to avoid; carrying out equilibrium strategy among big countries; maintaining the leading position in the process of the East Asian cooperation; extending the "ASEAN Way" from ASEAN to the East Asia. And these features have had significant effects on the tendency and levels of the East Asia cooperation. And facing the obstacles in East Asian cooperation, ASEAN's policies can not deal with them smoothly. So ASEAN is not functioning well as leader of the cooperation.