U.S., China opt for stable ties<\/p>\n
By Rizal Sukma<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited Sino-American summit has just
\nended with promising results, not only for a better relationship
\nbetween the two countries, but also for stability and peace in
\nthe Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
The summit resulted in a number of important agreements being
\nreached, which may serve as a strong foundation for both sides to
\ncontinue their dialogue and cooperation in the future.<\/p>\n
For example, it has been agreed that the two countries will
\nconvene regular summits, increase military contact, and cooperate
\nin coping with nonconventional security issues such as combating
\ninternational crime and environmental issues.<\/p>\n
No less important is the agreement between President Clinton
\nand President Jiang to open a direct communication channel, a
\n\"hot line,\" which enables the two leaders to communicate directly
\nwhenever the need arises.<\/p>\n
More importantly, however, President Clinton and President
\nJiang Zemin agreed to work toward a constructive strategic
\npartnership by improving cooperation in coping with international
\nchallenges and promoting peace and development in the world.<\/p>\n
To achieve that goal they agreed to approach the Sino-American
\nrelationship from a \"long-term perspective\". Indeed, it is this
\nstrategic agreement that signifies a strong commitment from both
\nsides to end eight years of uncertainty in their relationship and
\nbegin to work toward a new era of cooperation.<\/p>\n
Such positive results are welcome for three reasons. Firstly,
\nover the last eight years since the Tiananmen Incident in 1989,
\nrelations between China and the United States have been strained
\nby a number of differences.<\/p>\n
There has been a tendency from both sides to suspect each
\nother. Washington, for example, tends to see China as a country
\nwhich is likely to pose problems and challenges not only to
\ninternational peace and stability but also to democratic values.<\/p>\n
China, on the other hand, suspects that the U.S. will always
\ntry to subvert China's economic development and prevent it from
\nbecoming a major power. Worse, differences between the two
\ncountries were often made more complicated by the fact that their
\nrelationship was event-driven in nature.<\/p>\n
Secondly, it is not an exaggeration to say that peace and
\nstability in the Asia-Pacific region will to a certain degree
\ndepend on the state of the relationship between China and the
\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
An event-driven type of relationship between the two major
\nplayers is not in the region's interests. In this regard, a
\nstable Sino-U.S. relationship constitutes a necessary condition
\nfor any attempt to establish long-term regional stability.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the results of the summit, especially the agreement
\nto put the relationship within a \"long-term perspective\", will
\ncontribute to a better understanding between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Thirdly, the summit came at the time when the geopolitical
\nsituation in the Asia-Pacific region is characterized by the
\nrevival of old suspicions among big regional players.<\/p>\n
For example, the revised security arrangement between the U.S.
\nand Japan has revived China's suspicions of both Washington's old
\npolicy of containment and Japan's remilitarization. There has
\nbeen also growing concern among some segments in America, and to
\na lesser degree among Japan's political elite, over the
\npossibility of China becoming a threat to regional peace and
\nstability.<\/p>\n
Seen from this context, it is hoped that this fresh commitment
\nfrom Washington and Beijing to improve their relationship will
\nalso contribute significantly to an improvement of relations
\nbetween Beijing and Tokyo.<\/p>\n
The \"strategic partnership\" between China and the U.S. will
\nalso contribute positively to the ongoing regional efforts to
\ncreate a more predictable regional order in the Asia-Pacific
\nregion.<\/p>\n
The current multilateral security process initiated by the
\nASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), for instance, would benefit greatly
\nfrom stable Sino-U.S. relations.<\/p>\n
It is also hoped that closer cooperation and better mutual
\nunderstanding between Beijing and Washington will enhance the ARF
\nprocess, especially in promoting confidence-building measures
\n(CBMs) and preventive diplomacy. Good relations among big players
\nwill greatly facilitate the ARF process.<\/p>\n
For Southeast Asian countries, the recent Sino-U.S. summit
\nalso indicates commitment from the two major powers to conduct
\ntheir relations in terms of wider regional interests.<\/p>\n
It is hoped that Washington and Beijing will take regional
\ninterests into consideration when they manage their bilateral
\nrelations. More importantly, it is through Washington's
\ncommitment to foster good relations with Beijing, despite
\nexisting differences in bilateral relations, that the regional
\npolicy of engaging China is assured.<\/p>\n
How such a commitment is going to be implemented, however,
\nremains to be seen.<\/p>\n
However, it would be naive to expect that a summit would be
\nable to erase all differences between the two countries. For
\nexample, President Clinton indicated that there remain
\ndifferences between the two countries regarding the question of
\nTaiwan.<\/p>\n
There was also no substantial agreement with regard to the
\nquestion of human rights, but the two countries agreed to
\ncontinue dialogues on this issue at governmental and non-
\ngovernmental levels.<\/p>\n
What is important in this regard is that both Washington and
\nBeijing agreed not to let these differences inhibit greater
\nopportunities for cooperation.<\/p>\n
Indeed, stable Sino-U.S. relations lie in such a commitment.
\nAnd, the future of regional peace and stability will depend on a
\nstable relationship between Washington and Beijing. Therefore, it
\nis imperative for both countries to put that commitment to
\ncooperate into practice.<\/p>\n
The writer is a researcher at the Center for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies, Jakarta.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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