Uniting (East) Asia<\/p>\n
The conclusion of the ministerial meeting of the Association
\nof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Cebu, the Philippines,
\nearlier this week was quite satisfactory. The 10 foreign
\nministers of the regional grouping agreed to a set of modalities
\nfor membership to a high-level pan-Asian caucus set to hold its
\ninaugural summit in Kuala Lumpur later this year, called the East
\nAsia Summit.<\/p>\n
They agreed to inclusive criteria that would allow major
\nplayers in the region such as China, Japan, South Korea, India,
\nAustralia and New Zealand to sit together at a common forum with
\ntheir ASEAN counterparts.<\/p>\n
ASEAN sees the expansion of its own cooperation and community
\nbuilding to include the wider region of Asia, specifically East
\nand North East Asia, to include giants China, Japan and South
\nKorea. This was originally envisioned as a very gradual formative
\nprocess, as ASEAN itself was still in the initial phases of
\nestablishing its own \"community\".<\/p>\n
But certain ASEAN countries were \"impatient\" for the process
\nto occur and saw the East Asia Community as a way of realizing by
\nother means repressed and rejected initiatives. Thus, despite
\ninitial protestations from Indonesian foreign ministry officials,
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a \"political decision\"
\nand said during the ASEAN Summit in Vientianne last year that
\nMalaysia would be granted its wish to convene an East Asia
\nSummit.<\/p>\n
The difficulty was then agreeing to a set of modalities that
\nwould preliminary define what this new gathering was. Most
\nnotable was the question of membership.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's proposal to convene an East Asia Summit comprising
\nthe same members as the ASEAN plus Three process (the 10 ASEAN
\nmember states, plus China, Japan and South Korea) would have been
\nan exercise in superfluousness, given that it would have been a
\ncopy of an already successful on-going process. One of the two --
\nASEAN plus Three or the East Asia Summit -- would have been
\ncondemned to irrelevance.<\/p>\n
Going into Cebu, ASEAN seemed polarized between two schools of
\nthought. One -- led by Malaysia -- wanted a limited membership
\nfor the East Asia Summit of the ASEAN plus Three. The other --
\nled by Indonesia -- sought a wider membership comprising major
\nplayers in the region, including India, Australia and New
\nZealand.<\/p>\n
The ministerial retreat in Cebu was another example of the art
\nof ASEAN-speak and resolving what seem to be divisive viewpoints
\nin a diplomatically amicable manner. The \"settlement\" was such
\nthat it was acceptable to all in a sum-sum principle.<\/p>\n
We found this very satisfactory for three reasons. First was
\nthe \"inclusive\" nature of the new grouping, which set transparent
\nguidelines for all major regional players to be included. One of
\nthe key requisites is accession to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and
\nCooperation (TAC).<\/p>\n
While it is not guaranteed that all of the countries mentioned
\nabove, particularly Australia, will attend the inaugural summit,
\nit was imperative that the East Asia Summit be introduced without
\npurposely excluding certain countries. Hence, those countries
\nthat are not at the summit, but believe they are significant
\nplayers in the region and deserve an invite, will not be in Kuala
\nLumpur by their own choice.<\/p>\n
In other words, the summit cannot be perceived as shutting out
\nany particular country. The East Asia Summit is a noble and, if
\nsuccessful, strategic initiative that could put in place the
\nmechanism for improving cooperation and security in the region.<\/p>\n
The results of the Cebu meeting were also satisfactory because
\nthey ensured that ASEAN will remain the driving force behind this
\nnew initiative. By themselves most of the 10 ASEAN member states
\ndo not compare to giants such as China, Japan and South Korea.
\nEven as a united entity, ASEAN would still be in the shadows of
\nthese East Asian countries. The agreed upon modalities energize
\nASEAN's role in this \"megaproject\" of nations.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, the spirit of conciliation and unity among the
\nASEAN members in Cebu will be sustained as the association
\nembarks on this journey to unite Asia.<\/p>\n
It is now up to countries like Australia to make the most of
\nthis golden opportunity. Jakarta has endeavored to make it
\npossible for Canberra to join this new fraternity. It is up to
\nAustralia to cede to the same rules as everyone else if it wishes
\nto become a true friend of the region by signing the TAC.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uniting-east-asia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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