Trade in Shadow ASEAN-China Trade Relations amidst South China Sea Conflicts

Conflict and cooperation have been among core debates in International Political Economy and International Relations. Classical and neorealists tend to treat conflict as a disruptive force that undermines cooperation and elevates security considerations above economic rationality (Mearsheimer, 2001; Waltz, 1979). Unresolved territorial disputes, from this perspective, should generate uncertainty and ultimately suppress trade. Liberal and institutionalist traditions, by contrast, suggest economic interdependence can restrain conflict (Keohane, 1989; Moravcsik, 1997). It does so by increasing the opportunity costs of escalation and by embedding state behavior within institutional frameworks that reward cooperation. Yet, despite long theoretical debate, the empirical stance of conflict-trade relations remains contested. The relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China present a particular puzzle within this debate. Their relationship is defined by a paradox where there exists two parallel yet contradictory realities.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Anwar, Ahmad

• Nemzetközi kapcsolatok
• Nemzetközi gazdaság

Language dc:language

en