RelationsbetweenChinaandSoutheastAsiaareontherise，especiallyineconomicandpoliticalaspects。Butsuchincreasesalsocreatesocialproblems，andinsomecases，perceptionbymanySoutheastAsianstowardChina’sashaving“over⁃presence”andseeking“hegemonicambitions”intheregion。TheexamplefromthePhilippines，MalaysiaandCambodiasuggestthatitisimperativethatChina’sengagementswithSoutheastAsiaaredoneinsuchawaythatlocalpopulationsdonotbecomevictimsofChina’seconomicpresence，lestthesebecomerecipesforanti⁃Chinesesentimentsandspiralintopoliticaleffectsthatmaybedifficulttomanageregardlessofhowclosegovernments’relationshipsareontheelite-level。Afterall，ChinaandASEANneedeachothertogrowinthelongrun。AsadvisedbyStevenWong:“Chinadoesneedtocalibrateitsrelationshipbetter，buildingmoretrustandgivingmorebenefittotheregion，butthiscanonlyhappeninthecontextofanestablishedandgrowingrelationship。WhatevertestsandchallengestheASEAN-Chinarelationshipface，littleistobepracticallygainedfromadistancingfromeachother，muchlessasbandwagoningrivals。” <<