Can Southeast Asia Avoid Hierarchy?
... by a statesman. Countries, in this context, are supposed to agree on a certain “code of conduct”—an established framework for interactions based on the principle of mutual respect. For a thousand years, the system of international relations in East Asia was China-centric, in the form of the “Hua-Yi Order” (华夷秩序). The driving force had traditionally been the “give more but take less” principle (薄来厚往), which helped avoid wars with neighboring countries that would be disastrous for ...