it also rejected Indonesia's "doughnut" proposal to which the Chinese were opposed.

4
At the ASEAN-China SOM in

Cha-am in Thailand, Senior Counsellor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yangi Yi warned ASEAN against military alliances with the U.S.52 A change in the Chinese attitude could be noted. Malaysia's Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared after meeting with his Chinese counterpart General Chi Haotian that China wanted to change its image and that China should not be viewed as an enemy or potential aggressor.53 China reached agreement with Vietnam over several outstanding border issues, on 30 December 1999 over the land
border and on 25 December 2000 over the Gulf of Tonkin,

"new security concept"

which was first announced in 1996 as a Chinese version of common

security.5 ASEAN foreign ministers at the 29th AMM in July 1996 endorsed the

idea of a code of conduct "to lay the foundation of long term stability" the management of disputes in the South China Sea; trust and confidence building; cooperation in maritime issues and environmental protection;
and modes of consultation.66

". China was reluctant to

accept the obligation to work for a code of conduct after the declaration
was signed and demanded the words "on the basis of consensus,"

which were included as Article 10.71 The declaration was signed at

the 8th ASEAN summit at Phnom Penh in November 2002. 72

The declaration of conduct is a start but further steps will be

required to regulate behaviour and to prevent possible clashes over claim zones and resources. Norms assume importance when repetitive efforts to assert a favoured position meet with failure, or are perceived to be attended by increasingly unacceptable risks. This experience has shown that when weaker states face a potential hegemon, a necessary balance is required before norms can assume an important role as a basis for conflict avoidance and preventive diplomacy. Without that stability, the emphasis upon norms becomes a public relations

exercise unrelated to the real security concerns of the states involved. Norms can be understood as standards or patterns of expected behaviour in particular circumstances and indicate commonly accepted
preferences
he promoted dynamic equilibrium, meaning a balance of power across countries in the region. He proposed viewing stability and security as common goods, for which everyone is a beneficiary and to design an architecture where all of us have a stake in its stability and continuation. international body with a legally binding instrument to aid the peaceful settlement of disputes. He believed it was important to begin talking, to meet in a room and dont leave the room until you get something agreed. He warned against containing China and suggested countries find common ground in their common issues. wage peace, by aggressively preparing for peace in the same way countries prepare for war.
million friends, zero enemy,
the 27th Asia-Pacific Roundtable a) trust deficit, b) territorial disputes and c) managing change. building trust, resolving territorial disputes, and managing a dynamic strategic environment Indo-Pacific Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

May 2013

Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China

The East Asia Summit (EAS)

Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI), originally conceived by ASEAN Plus Three (ASEAN+3) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP