[ASEAN]The Narrow Tube Effect: Another perspective on ASEAN countries' home diplomacy in late 2022
Author: Yang Tirong, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Regional and Country Studies, Peking University
2022-11-24 12:47
From 11 to 16 November 2022, ASEAN countries have entered an accelerated period of home diplomacy with a number of intensive regional and international meetings. The two ASEAN Summits, the China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting, the 29th Informal Meeting of Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the 17th Summit of Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) ...... All of a sudden, the rate of hosting meetings in Southeast Asia has soared! Recently there have been many summary analyses on the internet, this article is based on the geographical concept of the narrow tube effect and international education cooperation to present readers with another side of the home diplomacy of ASEAN countries.
I. From weakness to strength: the "cold knowledge" of the ASEAN countries' conference series
Let's first look at what the narrow tube effect is. According to popular science knowledge published by the China Digital Science and Technology Museum, the narrow tube effect, also known as the canyon effect or necking effect, refers to the acceleration effect on airflow caused by canyon terrain. [[1]]When wind flows through a narrow valley, they are accelerated by the compression of the valley. This effect is evident in land Southeast Asia, where the mountains are high and the valleys are deep. At the same time, the Straits of Malacca, the Timor Sea and the Arafura Sea (mainly between Indonesia and Australia) in Southeast Asia, where the sea is deep and the land is narrow, have a similar narrow tube effect. Such a geographical effect can be summarised as a shift from weakness to strength on two levels. Firstly, at an overall level, the increasing international status of the organisation, due to its growing ASEAN centrality, has led to a greater acceleration effect on international cooperation. Secondly, on a local level, areas such as education, which had been relatively weak, have gained greater importance and value in regional cooperation.
II. Accelerating the narrow tube: a new perspective on ASEAN+ diplomacy
Why is the acceleration of the narrow tube effect a new perspective on ASEAN+ diplomacy? The answer to this question requires a brief review of existing knowledge. Diplomacy is by definition a matter of international politics, and the author of this article is not professionally qualified to comment on it. But there are also 'niches' within diplomacy, such as public diplomacy. There is a wealth of research on ASEAN diplomacy in China, and this article sketches a general picture of it according to the timeline of old, middle-aged and young researchers.
The first is Professor Zhang Yunling of Shandong University. He mentions that the key lessons of ASEAN diplomacy are to build an ASEAN development platform based on "ASEAN centrality", to construct an "ASEAN way", and to carry forward the spirit of inclusiveness and openness valued by Asian civilisations. [[2]] This can be tentatively called "ASEAN from the perspective of Asian civilisation". Professor Zhang Yunling is a renowned scholar of China's peripheral studies, especially ASEAN and Southeast Asian studies, and has been deeply involved in the design of China's important diplomatic strategy towards ASEAN. Professor Zhai Kun of Peking University, who likens ASEAN's role in East Asian cooperation to that of a "small horse pulling a big cart", [[3]] and suggests that ASEAN may play a leading role in the future Sino-US rivalry [[4]]. This could be called "ASEAN in the perspective of transportation". Next is Yin Ke, a PhD student at the School of International Relations, Peking University. He proposed that ASEAN folds in the global landscape under a century of great changes and analysed both internal issues (such as the situation in Myanmar) and external relations (such as the position on relations with the US and the Russia-Ukraine conflict). [[5]] This could be called "ASEAN in a physical or dynamical perspective". The analysis of ASEAN by the above-mentioned young and old researchers has provided us with highly valuable knowledge in understanding ASEAN. The novelty of exploring the narrow tube effect of the 'ASEAN way' on this basis, to add a geographical perspective to ASEAN, is mainly reflected in the following aspects.
First, in terms of theoretical matters, it enriches the study of ASEAN in China through the concept of interdisciplinarity. On the one hand, this paper hopes to form a complementary trend with the previous studies and try to avoid repetition; on the other hand, it hopes to present a three-dimensional image of ASEAN to the public with a brief concept. Secondly, it is an attempt to put oneself in ASEAN's shoes and look at its behaviour. ASEAN is not only for the Southeast Asian countries, but also for the world. In understanding ASEAN, we need a Chinese perspective, an American perspective and an ASEAN perspective. The ASEAN+ diplomacy, based on the centrality of ASEAN, has demonstrated a high level of connectivity, not only in terms of cooperation with China, the United States, Australia, the European Union, Nigeria and other relevant parties, but also in terms of cooperation in various fields such as politics, economy, security, environmental protection, education and culture. The ASEAN Way is as inclusive as the "Shandong pancake that rolls everything and the Xi'an bun that holds everything".
III. Education for the Narrow Management Effect in ASEAN+ Diplomacy
The first ASEAN Heads of Government Meeting held on 23-24 February 1976 stated that the goal of culture was to be raised to the same level as politics and economics. The ASEAN Vision 2020, released in 1997, mentioned the enhancement of human resource development through quality education. In the 21st century, ASEAN has advanced many new initiatives in education and culture, especially in the building of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), which has strengthened its investment in education and culture. For example, the 10th ASEAN Summit in 2004 issued a plan of action to build an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, and the 15th ASEAN Summit in 2009 issued a joint declaration on Strengthening Cooperation on Education to Achieve an ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community. 2022 saw the release of an ASEAN Roadmap and Implementation Plan on Building an ASEAN Higher Education Space, with the help of the European Union, again highlighting the accelerated development of education in the region and its contribution to diplomacy. In 2022, ASEAN, with the help of the European Union, released a roadmap and implementation plan on building an ASEAN Higher Education Space, once again highlighting the accelerated development of education in the region and its contribution to diplomacy.
ASEAN's education-related reforms have not only contributed to the modernisation of education within ASEAN, but have also become an important accelerator of ASEAN's diplomacy, bringing in rich educational resources from outside the region. China's "Double 100,000 International Students Programme" for ASEAN, the China-ASEAN Education Exchange Week and other regional education cooperation platforms; the US Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) for ASEAN The US Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and the long-standing Fulbright scholarship programme for ASEAN; Australia's overseas university campuses in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam; and the New Colombo Plan to promote international student exchanges are all results of the narrow educational pipeline effect of ASEAN diplomacy.
At this point, the question can be asked: what will happen to the narrow tube effect of ASEAN+ education in the future? Will the narrower control become the 'jurisdiction'? This paper is open to this. With its growing centrality, ASEAN, with its huge demand for education development, has a strong capacity for coordination and can lead cooperation through demand, or even resolve conflicts and contradictions through demand. However, we cannot ignore the fact that ASEAN's capacity to develop education on its own is still relatively weak, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed in order to avoid the wind that flows through narrow pipes becoming a "wind through the tunnel" that cannot be retained.
[[1]] China Digital Science and Technology Museum. Uncovering the "narrow tube effect" in geography [EB/OL]. (2019-01-13) [2022-11-15]. https://www.cdstm.cn/frontier/kpx/201901/t20190113_905091.html
[[2]] Zhang Yunling. Reflections on 50 years of ASEAN[J]. World Knowledge,2017(14):72.
[[3]] Zhai Kun. A small horse pulling a big cart? --A reconceptualization of ASEAN's role in East Asian cooperation[J]. Foreign Affairs Review (Journal of the Foreign Service Institute), 2009,26(02):9-15.
[[4]] Quoted in an online lecture given by Professor Zhai Kun to the Nanyang Institute of Xiamen University on 13 October 2022.
[[5]] Yin Ke. The "ASEAN Trap" Folded in a Century of Change: How to Break the Trap? [EB/OL]. (2022-04-05) [2022-11-15]. https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_17430883.