Op-Ed Contributors

Toward an East Asian community

By Wang Yusheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-08 07:46

During his second term as US president, George W. Bush had taken several steps such as emphasizing the alliance with Japan and the ROK to strengthen American military presence in East Asia.

His successor, Barack Obama, seems to have gone a step further. Fearing that the American-Japanese alliance could be weakened because of political developments in Japan, the Obama administration succeeded in making Tokyo believe it was insecure without Washington's protection. The concession made by the Japanese government in the shifting of the American military base in Okinawa is a perfect example that Tokyo took Washington's contention seriously.

Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned as Japan's prime minister last week, faced a dilemma when he was in power. He succumbed to the pressure of the US, because as the only superpower it is the most powerful ally of Japan. But in doing so, he could not keep his election promise of seeking a more equal partnership with the US. That Hatoyama was forced to resign proves that public opinion would continue to play a big role in Japanese politics.

The recent sinking of the ROK warship Cheonan and the subsequent heightening of tension on the Korean Peninsula is another development that may strengthen the Washington-Seoul alliance. And that can have a negative influence on the three countries' cooperation and hence must be handled with utmost care.

Premier Wen Jiabao provided the most promising way to handle the issue when he appealed to the related countries to exercise self-restraint and hoped they would cooperate in preserving peace and stability on the peninsula.

Premier Wen emphasized that the most urgent task for all concerned was the easing of tensions and avoiding conflict.

Wen said China would continue to communicate and coordinate with related countries to help resolve the issue in order to maintain peace in the region, because that is of prime interest to all.

The premier's response is not only on the immediate crisis, but also an example of what a constructive measure could do to resolve the issue peacefully.

The author, a former diplomat, is a Beijing-based researcher on international relations.

(China Daily 06/08/2010 page9)