协调国机制与东盟对外关系——以东盟协调国应对南海问题为例

Dialogue Coordinatorship and ASEAN’s External Relations:A Case of ASEAN Country Coordinators Response to the South China Sea Issue

协调国机制是东盟对外关系的制度创新。在缺少区域共同外交政策的背景下,它构建了一个与轮值主席国明确分工、由成员国共同参与并一对一负责协调与全面对话伙伴国关系的制度框架。这一安排不仅确保东盟国家能就对外政策进行充分的沟通和协调,而且使得东盟可以利用成员国的双边外交资源服务于区域的整体利益。它也是建构东盟政治安全共同体的社会化机制。本文以泰国、新加坡和菲律宾在担任对华关系协调国期间对南海问题的协调为例,分析了协调国在东盟对外关系中所发挥的作用,并指出,虽然协调国机制存在局限性,但它依然为发展中国家整合彼此力量、更好地参与国际事务提供了参考。

Dialogue coordinatorsbip is an important institutional innovation in ASEAN’s external relations.Lacking a common regional foreign policy,this design constructs an institutional framework that encourages participation of all ASEAN members,facilitates a clear division of labor between ASEAN chair and country coordinator,and ensures one ASEAN members to coordinate the relations with one of ASEAN full dialogue partners.As a result,not only does ASEAN dialogue coordinatorship guarantee member states to communicate and coordinate thoroughly before reaching consensus on regional external policy despite ASEAN’s minimal institutions,it also allows ASEAN to promote regional interests by taking advantage of member states’bilateral diplomatic resources.In addition,it is a socialization mechanism that facilitates the construction of ASEAN political-security community.Taking Thailand’s,Singapore’s,and the Philippines’coordinating efforts on the South China Sea issue during their respective tenures as ASEAN country coordinators with China as cases,this article investigates what roles country coordinators may play in ASEAN’s external relations.It further points out that,although ASEAN’s dialogue coordinatorship has inevitable limitations,it provides an important reference for other developing countries to better represent themselves and participate in international affairs.