8/13/2019 Thayer China's Strategic Partnerships

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Q3- What do China's efforts through the comprehensive strategic partnershps and

the treaty show about its priorities or strategy for the region? How effective would

both be for China and why?

ANSWER: Chinas overriding concern is to see Southeast Asia stable and peaceful.

China has enormous interests in access to the regions natural resources and thusinvests heavily in infrastructure and extractive industries. China needs to shore up

and cement good political relations as an antidote to the U.S. presence and

influence. China has larger strategic interests that are congruent with the objectives

just mentioned. It needs secure sea lines of communication (SLOCs) to import energy

supplies and natural resources and to export its goods. Southeast Asia and the South

China Sea are at the vital centre of SLOCs from the Middle East to ports on Chinas

east coast. In order to achieve these objectives China must work with Southeast Asia

multilaterally through ASEAN and bilaterally.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, Chinas Strategic Partnerships, Thayer

Consultancy Background Brief, October 11, 2013. All background briefs are posted on

Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the mailing list type

UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.

Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and

other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially

registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.