Pulling together for prosperity

China-ASEAN community of common destiny is not a rebadged version of the United States' Monroe Doctrine

US Secretary of State John Kerry recently proclaimed that the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over. But it remains to be seen whether this is so. Meanwhile, Washington is sparing no efforts in claiming China is pursuing its own version of the Monroe Doctrine with its vision of a China-ASEAN community of common destiny.

This is totally ridiculous, as the China-ASEAN community of common destiny and the Monroe Doctrine are different in nature. The proposal to establish a community of common destiny and shared benefits with the members of ASEAN represents Beijing's desire for greater regional cooperation in pursuit of common development and prosperity. Of course, there is a long way to go to reach that goal, but this is clearly different from the Monroe Doctrine, which was a product of the US' pursuit of hegemony.