Current Southeast Asian Party Politics and Diplomacy

International Communist Movement Academic Salon

国际共运学术沙龙

Briefing

简 报

2023 Issue No. 7 April 12, 2023

2023年第7期 2023年4月12日

Hosted by: Department of International Communist Movement Studies, Academy of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

主办：中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院国际共产主义运动研究部

Xu Liping: Current Southeast Asian Party Politics and Diplomacy

许利平：当前东南亚政党政治与外交

On April 12, 2023, the Department of International Communist Movement Studies of the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) carried out a themed Party Day activity [1]1 A themed Party Day activity (主题党日活动) is a regular organizational activity within the Chinese Communist Party, typically involving study, discussion, or practical work, aimed at strengthening Party spirit and organizational discipline. and the 7th International Communist Movement Salon, inviting Xu Liping, Research Fellow and Director of the Asia-Pacific Social Culture Research Office and Director of the Southeast Asia Research Center at the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of CASS, to deliver a report on “Current Southeast Asian Party Politics and Diplomacy.” The report session was chaired by Pan Jin’e, Research Fellow and Director of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, and all members of the department participated.

2023年4月12日，中国社科院马研院国际共运部开展主题党日活动暨第7次国际共运沙龙，邀请中国社科院亚太与全球战略研究院亚太社会文化研究室主任、东南亚研究中心主任许利平研究员作“当前东南亚政党政治与外交”的报告。报告会由国际共运部主任潘金娥研究员主持，共运部全体人员参加。

(Research Fellow Xu Liping delivering the report)

（许利平研究员作报告）

In the report, Research Fellow Xu Liping provided a detailed introduction to the history, culture, and religion of Southeast Asian countries, systematically presenting their ancient history and the modern history of Western colonization, thereby displaying the rich and varied history and reality of Southeast Asian nations. Xu Liping argued that a comprehensive understanding of the history, culture, and religion of Southeast Asian countries is the prerequisite and foundation for studying their party political development and for China’s interactions and cooperation with them. Xu Liping introduced four current models of party political development in Southeast Asia: First, the model of communist party rule. This model refers to countries where the communist party is the ruling party and the only legal party, holding an absolute advantage, such as Vietnam and Laos. Second, the model of a single party in a dominant position. This model refers to countries where more than one legal party exists, but a single party continuously occupies a dominant position, governing alone for a long period or even ruling alone. This model reflects a “unipolar autonomous form” or “unipolar pluralistic form” of political power structure, typically formed alongside the strong rise of a specific political power group, such as Singapore and Cambodia. Third, the model of multi-party rotation in power. This model refers to countries where more than two legal parties exist, but no party can maintain or even achieve a dominant position, remaining in a state of multi-party coalition and alternating governance for a long time, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste. Fourth, the model of weak party role. This model refers to countries where party political activities are restricted or even prohibited, making it difficult for parties to play an effective political role. Its characteristic is that the political power group holding the dominant position resorts to paths of power coordination and interest distribution outside party operations, thereby leaving party politics with little room for development, such as Brunei and Myanmar. In the report, Xu Liping elaborated on the impact of current Southeast Asian party politics on diplomacy from three aspects: political polarization and “choosing sides,” electoral politics and pragmatic diplomacy, and identity politics and diplomacy with the Islamic world.

在报告中，许利平研究员对东南亚国家的历史、文化、宗教等进行了详细介绍，系统介绍了东南亚国家的古代历史和遭受西方殖民的近代历史，展现了东南亚各国精彩纷呈的历史与现实。许利平研究员认为，全面了解东南亚国家的历史、文化和宗教是研究其政党政治发展、中国与东南亚国家交往与合作的前提与基础。许利平研究员介绍了当前东南亚政党政治发展的四大模式：第一，共产党执政模式。该模式是指对象国共产党是执政党，并且是唯一合法政党，占据绝对优势。如越南、老挝。第二，一党居于优势地位模式。该模式是指对象国存在一个以上合法政党，但是单一政党持续占据优势地位，长期一党主政甚至一党执政。该模式折射的是政治权力结构的“单极自律形态”或“单极多元形态”，其形成通常伴随特定政治权力集团的强势崛起。如新加坡、柬埔寨。第三，多党轮流坐庄模式。该模式是指对象国存在两个以上合法政党，但是任何政党都无法保持甚至难以取得优势地位，长期处于多党联盟与交替执政状态。如泰国、印尼、马来西亚、菲律宾、东帝汶。第四，政党作用较弱模式。该模式指对象国政党政治活动受到限制甚至禁止，政党难以有效发挥政治作用。其特点是掌握主导权的政治权力集团诉诸于政党运作之外的权力协调与利益分配路径，从而使政党政治缺乏发展空间。如文莱、缅甸。在报告中，许利平研究员从政治极化与“选边站队”、选举政治与务实外交、身份政治与伊斯兰世界外交三个方面，阐述了当前东南亚政党政治对外交的影响。

Research Fellow Xu Liping emphasized that although it is not yet possible to determine whether the world has entered a “post-Cold War era,” international conflicts and divisions are more intense than in the past, and how to handle international issues poses a severe test for China’s governance capacity. China and Southeast Asian countries should both conform to the times and stand on the side of the world’s general trend, and should carefully handle differences among parties on key issues. He argued that, given the complex and diverse histories, diverse cultures, and religions of Southeast Asian countries, in order to promote sustainable and healthy development of relations between China and Southeast Asian countries, cooperation in multiple areas such as politics, security, and people-to-people exchanges should be more comprehensively coordinated on the basis of a relationship centered on economic cooperation, so that bilateral relations can proceed steadily and go far.

许利平研究员强调，虽然还不能判断当前世界是否已经进入“后冷战时代”，但国际上的冲突与分裂相比过去更为激烈，如何处理好国际问题对中国治理能力提出了严峻考验。中国与东南亚国家都应该顺应时代、站在世界大势的一边，应该谨慎处理关键议题上各方的分歧。他认为，基于东南亚国家复杂多样的历史、多元的文化与宗教，为了促进中国与东南亚国家关系可持续、健康发展，应该在以经济合作为主轴的关系基础上，更多地统筹政治、经济、安全、人文等多方领域合作，这样双方关系才能行稳致远。

(Report session site)

（报告现场）

Research Fellow Xu Liping answered questions raised by participants, and the discussion was very lively. Everyone expressed that they had listened to a very wonderful report, and through this themed Party Day activity they gained an in-depth understanding of Southeast Asian party politics and diplomacy and China-ASEAN relations, broadened their research perspectives on political parties in various countries around the world, and further enriched their understanding of world socialism.

许利平研究员就大家提出的问题进行解答，讨论非常热烈。大家纷纷表示，聆听了一场非常精彩的报告，通过这次主题党日活动深入了解了东南亚政党政治与外交、中国东盟关系，拓宽了对于世界各国政党的研究视角，进一步丰富了对于世界社会主义的了解。

(Contributed by Wang Zifeng)

（王子凤供稿）