U.S., China opt for stable ties

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.