BEIJING - It's time to promote the establishment
of a Northeast Asian regional security mechanism.
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is of
increasing concern to Northeast Asian countries. The two
rounds of six-party North Korea nuclear talks brought
together key regional governments: China, Russia, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the
Republic of Korea (ROK), and Japan - as well as the
United States. And the discussions have kindled a gleam
of hope for the establishment of a multilateral security
system in the region.
Many people say that the
six-party talks, a special multilateral arrangement
aimed at defusing the nuclear crisis on the Korean
Peninsula, could develop into a general system to ensure
security in Northeast Asia, if these meetings were to
become a systematic and regular event.
The
progress already made in the talks demonstrates that a
permanent multilateral regional security system could
help solve even the most sensitive security problems.
Northeast Asia should not base its security
measures on bilateral frameworks any longer, according
to many analysts. A multilateral security arrangement
would offer a more effective and complementary guarantee
of regional peace and stability. The regional security
arrangement could coexist with alliance-oriented
bilateral security relations.
Constructing a
multilateral security framework in Northeast Asia is not
a new idea. Countries such as Russia and Japan suggested
setting up a Northeast Asian security mechanism after
the end of the Cold War. Countries in the region have
also conducted security dialogues at various levels with
their neighbors. But a systematized regional security
arrangement has remained a distant prospect.
The
threat of instability in Northeast Asia is very real.
The Korean nuclear issue and the Taiwan question remain
unresolved, and these two serious issues, if not
properly handled, could cause regionwide instability.
The ROK and even Japan are exhibiting strong desires to
explore more self-reliant foreign policies, while the
influence of the "peaceful rise" of China increasingly
is being felt. On the other hand, the US has never
veiled its worries about the alleged intention of China
to recover its traditional centrality in the region.
With regional security issues unresolved and no
long-term development plans established, peaceful
development in Northeast Asia cannot be brought about
through the wishes of any individual country, according
to many observers. Regional peace and stability can only
be achieved through the collective and objective actions
of countries in the region. In other words, neither
self-help (China is a good example) nor military
alliances are enough to face a changing security
environment in the region.
Many common
security concerns, despite differences In the
beginning, a Northeast Asian security framework could
serve as a multilateral mechanism based upon the common
security interests of member states. Although there are
huge differences, regional governments still have many
common security concerns that make a regional
multilateral security framework worth working for.
However, a multilateral security framework built
on common interests cannot be easily achieved, since the
interests of all countries involved are continuously
changing.
Any regional security arrangement in
Northeast Asia that did not have US involvement would be
unrealistic and impossible to achieve.
Although
many people have criticized the unilateralism of
President George W Bush's administration, the US will
try multilateralism to deal with regional security
challenges, as the six-party talks demonstrated. It is
not clear whether the US has any interest in
establishing a Northeast Asian security mechanism, but
an all-inclusive and permanent arrangement for dealing
with Northeast Asian security issues is in the interests
of all countries - including the United States. Some
Americans support the idea of this type of security
mechanism. Others worry that it would contravene
Washington's regional bilateral security arrangements.
From a Chinese perspective, a Northeast Asian
security mechanism would have the following
characteristics:
It would include China, and even a denuclearized
North Korea.
It would co-exist with US-led bilateral security
relations.
It would be justified or legitimized by ongoing
cooperative and constructive China-US relations.
It could help solve other regional security
problems, including the Taiwan problem.
It would lay the foundation for a future-oriented
regional security community.
The prospect of
regularized six-party talks has provided an opportunity
to revisit the idea of building a regional security
mechanism. Thus the efforts of all parties are needed to
ensure success. A regional security mechanism should
embrace the concept of mutual security. If North Korea
were to participate, its reasonable security concerns
should be assured and considered. The transformation of
the regional security environment in Northeast Asia
needs a successful conclusion of the six-party talks.
China increasingly shows interest in a
six-party-talks-based regional security arrangement, so
it is not impossible that some China-related security
problems, such as the Taiwan issue, could be discussed
at the regional level rather than just bilaterally.
Proper discussions on most such sensitive issues might
not only be helpful for the solution of the issue but
also could help promote the building of the regional
security mechanism.
Pang Zhongying is
a Beijing-based analyst of international affairs and
director of the Institute of Global Issues, Nankai
University, China. He can be reached atpzying@yahoo.com.
This article was made available by Pacific Forum CSIS.
