This book provides a detailed analysis of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the deepening relationship that ASEAN has with China. As an organization for regional cooperation among developing countries, ASEAN has drawn attention from the region and even the world, and is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. As East Asian cooperation deepened in the 21st century, ASEAN countries not only raised the idea of building a community based on the pillars of an economic community, a political-security community, and a socio-cultural community, but also issued the ASEAN Charter. Gaining a good overview of ASEAN's efforts at promoting economic cooperation over the last 40 years - and the resultant effects on its economic development - is an important starting point toward an in-depth understanding of ASEAN itself. It is also an important theoretical basis for bilateral relations to progress further in the context of deepening China-ASEAN relations. The goals and achievements of ASEAN are something that other poorer-performing nations may want to emulate. This book offers important insights into successful regional cooperation and the impact of building close bi-lateral relations with China. (Series: China International Relations) [Subject: Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, International Relations, Politics, Economics]