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In the past ten years, the world has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity that seem to indicate a fundamental change in China's strategic preferences. But has it fundamentally changed? This paper seeks to answer this question by examining China's strategic culture, comparing it to that of ASEAN. It will apply the theoretical concepts concerning strategic culture and the socialization process to try to determine if China's strategic preferences toward cooperative behavior have indeed changed fundamentally. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese foreign policy is changing to reflect the realities of a new world order, an order in which the United States is a hegemon with unsurpassed power and China seeks to successfully continue its “communism with capitalist characteristics”. In this world, China has wisely chosen not to compete directly with the United States, but to use the development of regional multilateral institutions to spread its influence while diluting that of the global hegemon. One poignant example of this policy is the ASEAN+3 forum and the ongoing development of an East Asian Security Community (EASC). Considering that China is a key member of ASEAN+3, it can serve as a powerful catalyst or obstacle to the development of an EASC. To what extent will China support such a security community? Why would it support a security community at all? To answer these two questions, this paper will present an overview of Chinese engagement with ASEAN+3 and the recent East Asian Summit, as well as explore what may be driving this increased multilateral engagement. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]