Relations between China and Southeast Asia are on the rise,especially in economic and political aspects.But such increases also create social problems, and in some cases, perception by many Southeast Asians toward China’s as having “over?presence”and seeking “hegemonic ambitions” in the region.The example from the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia suggest that it is imperative that China’s engagements with Southeast Asia are done in such a way that local populations do not become victims of China’s economic presence, lest these become recipes for anti?Chinese sentiments and spiral into political effects that may be difficult to manage regardless of how close governments’relationships are on the elite-level.After all, China and ASEAN need each other to grow in the long run.As advised by Steven Wong: “ China does need to calibrate its relationship better,building more trust and giving more benefit to the region, but this can only happen in the context of an established and growing relationship.Whatever tests and challenges the ASEAN-China relationship face, little is to be practically gained from a distancing from each other, much less as bandwagoning rivals.”

Deth Sok Udom:He is President of Zaman University，Cambodia.