Op-Ed Contributors

Regional integration en route

By Li Qingsi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-25 07:54

East Asia undoubtedly plays a crucial role in today's world order, whether its effect is positive or negative. But no other place parallels East Asia, which is simultaneously a complexity of profound contradictions and the most promising prospects. In this context, it has become a hot spot of deep concern and intense attention worldwide.

From the perspective of economic integration, East Asia includes both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, which further exacerbates the connotation of discord in the region. A variety of factors from; differences in social institutions among countries; contention between followers of Islam, Confucianism and the emerging sects of Christianity make the situation complicated.

The Korean Peninsula issue, a relic of World War II; the cross-Straits relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan; the South China Sea disputes fueled by intense competition for seabed resources; and the shadow of nation-state conflicts often shroud the dreams of peace and prosperity of the region's people.

Moreover, the United States' East Asian policy, especially its military policy in the region, has intensified existing discords. As a result, conflicts can potentially spark unexpectedly. To some extent, as the world's only surviving superpower, the US is the root of all types of contradictions in East Asia; we can see the ghostly presence of the US behind each fiery issue.

The most prominent challenge in Northeast Asia is the long, unresolved Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, which reflects competition of world powers in and outside the region.

China, however, has been playing a significant role in preventing the outbreak of military conflicts on the peninsula - both the US and its East Asian allies can't ignore China's position. As two major powers that were engaged in the Korean War, China and the US, again, have become two well-matched, balancing powers in keeping security and stability on the peninsula.

Just as China mustered up all its strength for the war half a century ago to maintain the balance of power on the peninsula, now China's persistence in finding peaceful solutions indicates that its development and prosperity could lay a strong foundation for stability and peace in East Asia.

If the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue reflects international conflicts in Northeast Asia, then the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair. But owing to the US interference, it has become one of the core problems in Beijing-Washington relations.

As the troublemaker of the split across the Taiwan Strait, the US today is still firmly clinging to Taiwan in an attempt to slow down China's rise. The Chinese people, who have suffered from the US' lies and threats on the Taiwan question, have not only further recognized the nature of the US hegemony, but are also determined to make exhaustive efforts in achieving material prosperity and support the acceleration of military modernization.

Nevertheless, conditions conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity are also increasing. China's growing strength is both the guarantee of regional stability and a powerful driving force for advancing East Asian integration. Even if China-US relations are fraught with fierce competition, cooperation is consistent and conflicts are always under careful control.

Thirty years of continuous economic growth enabled China to become not only the powerhouse for progressing the economic development of East Asia but also contribute to the global economic growth.

China also took a leading role in boosting regional economic and trade cooperation with the formal launching of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at the beginning of this year. The act should inject vitality to East Asian integration. Though we lag far behind Europe in its integration in the region and face more complex, tough problems, the current ASEAN grouping in addition to China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) provides a temporary platform for cooperation.

As a regional power in East Asia, China should put equal emphasis on maintaining peace and a stable environment between neighbors as well as strengthening economic and trade cooperation with ASEAN, Japan and ROK.

If China-US relations can't decide the future of the world, it can at least change the destiny of East Asia. The US presence in this region reveals not only regional military alliances it elaborately forged but also its largest trade partner and its two foreign creditors.

Since former US President Richard Nixon, each US government has asserted that a powerful, stable and prosperous China is in the interest of the US. But those words ring hollow.

Despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments that China and the US are crossing a river in the same boat, it has not impeded the Pentagon to deploy more than 60 percent of its submarines to the west Pacific to contain China. Nevertheless, the US still owes China a huge amount of debt.

China's achievements were not acquired in a favorable environment; the development of East Asia also needs to overcome numerous difficulties. So differences and discord among countries are permanent and unconditional while cooperation and prosperity are temporary and have precedence. As long as relevant countries can cooperate effectively and compete with goodwill, East Asia's development will continue to show promise and people in the region will reap from a number of benefits.

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China.

(China Daily 01/25/2010 page8)