China and Southeast Asia

Asia Times Online has an article explaining why Southeast Asia is turning from US to China. I'll try to give few ideas on why China is increasingly involved in Southeast Asia. Anyone who went to China may have seen that there is a strong trend toward westernalization, mostly in coastal cities but also in many young people's mind. This influence may bother Chinese authorities, as many ideas coming from the West could eventually disrupt social order. Individualism and consumerism are other words for selfishness and materialism. Western values may not be the fine word of civilisation.

In Chinese history, the power has been understood as cultural influence, as shown in Confucean books like the Great Learning. Even if China now have growing economic power, and may also enjoy great military power, Chinese leaders may well think that the only lasting power (or "effective influence") is in the cultural field. Economic growth is not endless, and is linked to circumstances. Military power allows you to fight or defense. But it is because its cultural power that, from Han to Ming dynasties, China has dominated all the surrounding countries. Even if a bunch of nomads had the opportunity to rule Chine (as did the Mongols during Yuan dynasty and the Mandchus during Qing dynasty), they eventually became Chinese themselves. Korea and Japan both weren't part of Chinese empire but they used Chinese characters, read Chinese books, and therefore bougth Chinese goods. Even if they developped their own versions of medicine, religion (Chan buddhism that became Zen) or calligraphy, Chinese influence shoudn't be underestimated.

Now China may know there there will be a long time before being able to have a real deep cultural influence on Western countries, in spite of Taoism, Taijiquan, "Chinese" restaurants and Chinatowns. Willing to enforce its regional leadership, China is maybe not planning to invade countries like Thailand or Malaisia, but more likely trying to build a partnership that would resist to geopolitical changes. In clear, China would want neighbouring countries to stay China's best friend and ally even in the case of a global confrontation between, say the West and the East, or Muslim world and the rest of the planet.