Community-building in East Asia
In late July, the foreign ministers of the countries of the Association of South East Asian Countries (ASEAN), together with those of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, gathered in Vientiane, Laos, where they exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest.
In particular, the ministers discussed the East Asia Summit (EAS) to be held in Malaysia this December. They noted that Australia, New Zealand and India would attend the first EAS as well as the ASEAN countries, Japan, China and South Korea. They welcomed ASEAN's commitment to keeping the EAS open, outward-looking and inclusive.
For the past ten years, the concept of 'community-building' has been widely discussed among government officials and members of the business community, academia and think-tanks at various levels as a shared goal for the future in the East Asian region. The importance attached to this vision stems from the traditional weakness of ties among the countries in the region. This situation was exacerbated during the Cold War, when political and ideological barriers hindered closer regional cooperation.
During this period two major events became catalysts for drastic change. One was the financial crisis of 1997, which awakened people of the region to the need for a regional approach to secure their prosperity. The other comprised the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, which underscored the importance of regional cooperation in addressing terrorism and other transnational issues. Especially after these events, regional networks to promote functional cooperation covering a wide range of issues swiftly developed. For instance, they addressed finance (the Chiang Mai Initiative and the Asian Bond Market Initiative) as well as transnational issues including terrorism, drug-trafficking, maritime piracy, trafficking in people and non-proliferation.
ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers' Informal Meeting, Kyoto, May 2005 © MOFA
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ASEAN, which has played a leading role in regional cooperation in East Asia, has hosted a number of key forums, including ASEAN+3 (Japan, China and the Republic of Korea). These forums have led the way in community-building in East Asia.
In 1999, the leaders of ASEAN+3 at their summit in Manila issued the 'Joint Statement on East Asian Cooperation ', which stressed the importance of promoting regional cooperation over a wide range of issues at various levels. |
In November 2001, the East Asia Vision Group (EAVG), which had been formed at the Manila summit and which comprised intellectuals of the ASEAN+3 countries, submitted to the ASEAN+3 leaders a report which envisioned an East Asian community and suggested ideas to promote community-building. The EAVG report identified four core functions for an East Asian community: (1) to collaborate to promote a stable and cooperative security environment based on mutual trust and respect; (2) to promote trade, investment and financial cooperation so as to foster common prosperity; (3) to be mindful of disparities in socio-economic development, educational attainment and technological advances in the region; and (4) to improve governance, strengthen basic rights and boost the quality of life for all.
In November 2002, the East Asia Study Group (EASG), consisting of senior government officials of the ASEAN+3 countries, submitted to the ASEAN +3 leaders a final report which recommended 17 short-term measures and 9 medium- and long-term measures to achieve the goal of community-building. These developments within the ASEAN+3 framework have provided a solid foundation and the political momentum for future efforts.
In order to achieve the creation of an East Asian community, Japan considers a functional approach to be appropriate. It is worth recalling that the unification of Europe commenced with functional cooperation in such fields as atomic energy, coal, iron and steel. On this basis, it is important that the formation of an East Asian community take place in line with universal values and global rules.
As for the demarcation between EAS and ASEAN, Japan regards EAS as the forum for discussing in general and strategic terms the fundamentals of regional cooperation and approaches to it. On the other hand, at the ASEAN+3 leaders' meetings, discussions should focus on the practicalities of cooperation. Japan also considers that, in order to promote open, regional cooperation, it is important to involve Australia, New Zealand and India.
Japan thinks that, based on the values of open regionalism (openness, transparency and inclusiveness), the EAS leaders should affirm the importance of certain core principles. These principles include the following: Firstly, the EAS should adopt a functional approach. Secondly, it should embrace respect for the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights, as well as conformity to global rules such as those of the World Trade Organisation. Thirdly, it should promote human and academic exchanges with a view to nurturing a deeper sense of community. Finally, Japan expects that the first EAS in Malaysia in December will provide an historic opportunity for the leaders to reaffirm their political commitment to promoting regional cooperation with a view to building an East Asian community in the future and for them to identify the basic principles of community-building and approaches to achieving it.
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