A Short History of China and Southeast Asia: Tribute, Trade and Influence.

• Author: Yang, Jian
• Position: Book Review

A SHORT HISTORY OF CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA: Tribute, Trade and Influence

Author: Martin Stuart-Fox Published by: Allen and Unwin, Crow's Nest, 2003, 292pp, $36.95.

This is a timely publication. China's relations with South-east Asia have become ever closer, so much so that the influential Par Eastern Economic Review entitled a November 2003 article on China-South-east Asia relations 'How China Is Building An Empire'.

China's coming back to South-east Asia is not simply history repeating itself. After all, the mandate of the 'Son of Heaven' is long gone, and China no longer sees itself as the centre of the world. The Middle Kingdom is living in a new world with new strategic goals. Its worldview and approach to South-east Asia have to change.

This by no means belittles the value of Stuart-Fox's book, which provides a brief yet thoughtful account and interpretation of China's historical relations with South-east Asia. We have to agree that 'History continues profoundly to influence relations between China and Southeast Asia'.

China's relations with South-east Asia have been well studied. What stands out as a key strength of the book is its attempt to understand what it calls the 'international relations culture' that includes values, norms, and expectations with respect to the proper conduct of international affairs. Traditional Chinese international relations culture was based on the Chinese worldview that is examined at the beginning of the book. Historically, the Chinese worldview emphasised the unity of Heaven, Earth and humankind, the power of the emperor as Son of Heaven and the belief that barbarian peoples would be drawn by the virtue of the emperor to recognise the superiority of Chinese civilisation and the cosmic status of the emperor. The recognition was symbolised by the tributary system--barbarians deferentially offering their tribute at Chinese court and gratefully receiving gifts in exchange.

Readers will find that the tributary system dominated China's relations with South-east Asia until the late nineteenth century, when China was far too weak to resist Western invasion and South-east Asia became colonies of European powers. The book notes that the tributary system was not really burdensome for South-east Asian polities. It also suggests that China as an empire expanded but was not particularly expansionist.

The book then argues that China's international relations culture in the Cold War years evolved from its past. As 'a...