Simon Tay on ASEAN
China's invasion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation's (ASEAN) markets is causing turmoil, says Asia Society Associate Fellow Simon Tay, author of the new book: Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide from America.
This year marked the beginning of a new and promising economic space for China, with a trade agreement between ASEAN and China allowing 90 percent of Chinese products to enter the block without tariffs.
The agreement, which had initially gathered great support, is now under fire. ASEAN nations including Indonesia, fear that China is already too powerful and that they won't be able to compete with cheap Chinese products.
"After more than a decade of Chinese 'charm' there are more questions of competing interests and concerns about attitudes as China continues to rise," says Tay.