China’s White Paper on Asia Pacific Security Cooperation

On January 11, 2017, China elucidated its position on Asia Pacific security through its first white paper on its positions and policies on Asia-Pacific security cooperation. One of the key operative dictums included in the white paper was an advice or warning to small and medium countries in the region that they “need not and should not take sides among big countries”.

• Through this white paper, China has proposed a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in the Asia Pacific Region.
• The white paper considers the Asia Pacific region to be stable, although it also recognises multiple destabilising and uncertain ....