U.S., China opt for stable ties

By Rizal Sukma

JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited Sino-American summit has just ended with promising results, not only for a better relationship between the two countries, but also for stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region.

The summit resulted in a number of important agreements being reached, which may serve as a strong foundation for both sides to continue their dialogue and cooperation in the future.

For example, it has been agreed that the two countries will convene regular summits, increase military contact, and cooperate in coping with nonconventional security issues such as combating international crime and environmental issues.

No less important is the agreement between President Clinton and President Jiang to open a direct communication channel, a "hot line," which enables the two leaders to communicate directly whenever the need arises.

More importantly, however, President Clinton and President Jiang Zemin agreed to work toward a constructive strategic partnership by improving cooperation in coping with international challenges and promoting peace and development in the world.

To achieve that goal they agreed to approach the Sino-American relationship from a "long-term perspective". Indeed, it is this strategic agreement that signifies a strong commitment from both sides to end eight years of uncertainty in their relationship and begin to work toward a new era of cooperation.

Such positive results are welcome for three reasons. Firstly, over the last eight years since the Tiananmen Incident in 1989, relations between China and the United States have been strained by a number of differences.

There has been a tendency from both sides to suspect each other. Washington, for example, tends to see China as a country which is likely to pose problems and challenges not only to international peace and stability but also to democratic values.

China, on the other hand, suspects that the U.S. will always try to subvert China's economic development and prevent it from becoming a major power. Worse, differences between the two countries were often made more complicated by the fact that their relationship was event-driven in nature.

Secondly, it is not an exaggeration to say that peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region will to a certain degree depend on the state of the relationship between China and the United States.

An event-driven type of relationship between the two major players is not in the region's interests. In this regard, a stable Sino-U.S. relationship constitutes a necessary condition for any attempt to establish long-term regional stability.

Therefore, the results of the summit, especially the agreement to put the relationship within a "long-term perspective", will contribute to a better understanding between the two countries.

Thirdly, the summit came at the time when the geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific region is characterized by the revival of old suspicions among big regional players.

For example, the revised security arrangement between the U.S. and Japan has revived China's suspicions of both Washington's old policy of containment and Japan's remilitarization. There has been also growing concern among some segments in America, and to a lesser degree among Japan's political elite, over the possibility of China becoming a threat to regional peace and stability.

Seen from this context, it is hoped that this fresh commitment from Washington and Beijing to improve their relationship will also contribute significantly to an improvement of relations between Beijing and Tokyo.

The "strategic partnership" between China and the U.S. will also contribute positively to the ongoing regional efforts to create a more predictable regional order in the Asia-Pacific region.

The current multilateral security process initiated by the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), for instance, would benefit greatly from stable Sino-U.S. relations.

It is also hoped that closer cooperation and better mutual understanding between Beijing and Washington will enhance the ARF process, especially in promoting confidence-building measures (CBMs) and preventive diplomacy. Good relations among big players will greatly facilitate the ARF process.

For Southeast Asian countries, the recent Sino-U.S. summit also indicates commitment from the two major powers to conduct their relations in terms of wider regional interests.

It is hoped that Washington and Beijing will take regional interests into consideration when they manage their bilateral relations. More importantly, it is through Washington's commitment to foster good relations with Beijing, despite existing differences in bilateral relations, that the regional policy of engaging China is assured.

How such a commitment is going to be implemented, however, remains to be seen.

However, it would be naive to expect that a summit would be able to erase all differences between the two countries. For example, President Clinton indicated that there remain differences between the two countries regarding the question of Taiwan.

There was also no substantial agreement with regard to the question of human rights, but the two countries agreed to continue dialogues on this issue at governmental and non- governmental levels.

What is important in this regard is that both Washington and Beijing agreed not to let these differences inhibit greater opportunities for cooperation.

Indeed, stable Sino-U.S. relations lie in such a commitment. And, the future of regional peace and stability will depend on a stable relationship between Washington and Beijing. Therefore, it is imperative for both countries to put that commitment to cooperate into practice.

The writer is a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.