China courts friends in ASEAN; for others a show of strength

[Oblaks]

PHNOM PENH/BEIJING (Reuters) - When U.S. President Barack Obama and more than a dozen leaders arrived in Cambodia for a regional summit meeting this week, only one of them was feted with banners strung from the venue gates.

"Welcome Prime Minister Wen Jiabao!" one proclaimed. "Long live the People's Republic of China!" read another.

As the leaders left, the green-and-white banners were still festooned outside Phnom Penh's Peace Palace, a fitting reminder of China's powerful and growing clout as Beijing uses its influence - and money - to win friends and frustrate those uneasy about its sweeping territorial claims and rising military strength.....

Analysis - China courts friends in region; for others a show of strength- swissinfo

 

[cir]

ASEAN is China's backyard，and for several very good reasons， one of which being the fact that there are tens of millions of ethnic Chinese in ASEAN countries。

They are THE major pillars of ASEAN economy。

 

[asianobserve]

ASEAN is China's backyard，and for several very good reasons， one of which being the fact that there are tens of millions of ethnic Chinese in ASEAN countries。

They are THE major pillars of ASEAN economy。

The only claim to being Chinese by our ethnic Chinese citizens is the word "Chinese." Other than that China is not going to control ASEAN through them.