Vying Asian powers

United States President George W. Bush's visit to Japan, China and South Korea this week in conjunction with the APEC Summit, is yet another evolution in the shifting dynamics of East Asian regional politics.

Though free trade, joint action on bird flu and other bilateral issues are high on the agenda, the visit helps further sketch the growing power alliances in this region.

It is true that the modern international setting, which is interconnected through formal trading regimes and multinational corporations, makes global, even region-wide, conflict unlikely.

Gone are the days of Cold War rivalry or alliances such as that of the Concert of Europe in the 19th Century.

Despite this progress, we should not dismiss altogether the "realist" perspective which sees blocks of nations pitted against one another.

The statements coming out of Wednesday's summit between Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi certainly confirm a growing picture of "rivalry" between two overarching power blocks in this region: Japan and the United States vs. China.

Koizumi has rejected criticism that his growing political fraternity with the U.S. is unhealthy for the region.

Nevertheless, a Japan which is increasingly active in projecting its forces outside its borders and "tied at the hip" with the U.S., imposes stresses on other countries which may not necessarily be so inclined.

This is aggravated by the fact that 60 years after the end of World War II, there is seemingly a growing penchant to water down the culpability of Japan's imperialist past.

Understandably Tokyo's approach has been very pragmatic.

China's rise has been quite recent, and its overall paradigm as a regional power is still being debated. Under this setting Japan has sought the tenable route by securing ties with its traditional ally -- the United States.

It is time for Tokyo to show that while it may not lean to the center, it can at least show greater independence vis-a-vis Washington in its regional political-security outlook.

A broad axis with the U.S. is tenable in a larger global setting, but the dynamics of regional engagements differ from those which Washington considers its interests.

Japan must think of itself regionally first, rather than as an extension of the U.S. policy.

For its part, China must also continue the kind of regional empathy it has adopted in recent years by actively participating, and now even sponsoring, regional initiatives.

But, as mentioned earlier, there are still looming issues on China's role as a benign regional power. We invite Beijing to intensify its goodwill diplomacy further to dispel these uncertainties.

China, sooner or later, will also have to come to terms with its own domestic socio-political changes as its body politic becomes more susceptible to democratic forces. That too will have widespread regional repercussions.

Indonesia and other members of ASEAN hopes China will persist on its present course and is ready to engage in closer ties in this respect.

Other emerging regional powers -- India and South Korea -- will also play a significant future role in shaping the course of the regional framework.

Flash points remain -- the South China Sea, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula, among them. Hence, it is imperative that distrust and suspicions, be resolved for the sake of regional stability.

The coming inauguration of the East Asia Summit in December which brings together all the major regional players and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a golden opportunity to establish such a regional political- security framework.

Bringing all these countries together in a working forum will minimalize tensions and allow the parties involved to focus on the more important task of improving the welfare of people in this region.

What of the United States?

Well, it remains a welcome associate of East Asia and still plays an important role as an anchor of regional stability.

However we are hopeful that local players will be the primary determinants of this region's destiny, without being subject to American national interests.