SCOPUS 등재지 

International Journal of China Studies Getting Nods from the Muslims8(2)2022pp.199-224

China and the BIMP-EAGA Cooperation: Progress and Challenges

무하마드 줄피카 라크맛(연구교수, 부산외국어대학교 아세안연구원)

[Abstract]

 As one of the ASEAN sub-regions, the BIMP-EAGA has developed as an area of cooperation among ASEAN's external partners. Among these partners is China, which has engaged with the subregion since the early days of the sub-region's inception. In fact, in 2009 China and the BIMP-EAGA agreed a Framework of Cooperation, making the former a "strategic development partner". The objective of this paper is to contribute to the existing studies on China's relations with the ASEAN sub-regions by examining the progress and obstacles of the cooperation between China and the BIMP-EAGA. The paper argues that while the BIMP-EAGA has become a multilateral avenue for China to engage with the ASEAN and the sub-regional countries, the cooperation has been limited and superficial. This is primarily due to three key factors, specifically China's preference to engage with the BIMP-EAGA member nations bilaterally, the existence of more mature cooperative frameworks that have facilitated China's relations with the four countries, besides the ongoing tensions in the South China sea between China and the sub-regional members.