The Role And Limitation Of ASEAN Norms In China ASEAN Security Cooperation

As the most dynamic region with the most complex power structure in the world,East Asia’s security cooperation process has always been widely concerned by the international community.After years of development,multilateral security cooperation in East Asia has made certain achievements and maintained long-term peace and cooperation.Although the progress is relatively slow,the cooperation process has not been interrupted,showing distinctive East Asian characteristics.As a regional international organization composed of small and medium-sized countries,ASEAN plays a central role in the framework of security cooperation in East Asia.The complexity of the power structure in East Asia makes it impossible for any regional power to play the leading role in the cooperation process,while the relatively weak ASEAN has been pushed to the front stage and become the center of East Asian security cooperation,which has been recognized by major countries such as China,the United States and Japan.Currently,The major powers in the Asia Pacific are all included in the multilateral cooperation framework centered on ASEAN.However,limited by its own strength,ASEAN often fails to follow its heart in promoting the process of East Asian security cooperation,and the construction of East Asian security community is still in the exploratory stage.In the process of development,ASEAN has gradually formed regional norms with Southeast Asian characteristics,that is,ASEAN norms.ASEAN norms can guide the behavior of Member States and shape national interests and identity cognition.At the same time,ASEAN norms have been evolving in the process of diffusion to East Asia,adding new content about regional cooperation in East Asia.ASEAN norms are not only an important support for ASEAN’s central position,but also a key factor to ensure the sustainability of the process of security cooperation in East Asia.Starting with the security cooperation between ASEAN and China,this paper discusses the role and limitations of ASEAN norms.Firstly,the paper comprehensively combs the evolution,connotation and characteristics of ASEAN norms.Secondly,it makes a systematic analysis based on the normative theory of constructivism.This paper points out that the role of ASEAN norms is process framing,procedural adaptation and publicity and persuasion.They are included in the same process and are aimed at maintaining the security cooperation process."Maintenance process" is particularly important in security cooperation in East Asia.Participating countries realize gradual socialization through the process and finally lead to common expectations.The role of ASEAN norms is reflected in China’s gradual socialization,which is specifically reflected in promoting the changes of China’s collective security identity,relationship structure cognition and security concept.Of course,as a regional power,China’s above changes fundamentally come from its own will,but ASEAN norms have indeed played an important guiding role,which will be analyzed in this paper.Finally,the paper analyzes the limitations of ASEAN norms.In the process of maintaining the security cooperation between ASEAN and China,ASEAN norms are faced with constraints from ASEAN norms,regional environmental factors and China,which is as the receiver to the norms.Although ASEAN norms face many challenges in practice,they are still having a positive impact.As China’s emerging norms gradually enter the international vision,the future regional norms and regional security order in East Asia need to be jointly discussed and built by ASEAN and China.