|
|
|
|
Southeast Asia bright on US radar
screen
By Evelyn Goh
For those who have been wondering what the
second George W Bush administration has in store
for Southeast Asia, Deputy Secretary of State
Robert Zoellick's recent eight-day visit to the
region was encouraging. Above all, it was a
significant display of the kind of diplomacy that
too many have ceased to expect from the United
States after Bush's first term. Following
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visits to
Northeast and South Asia in March, the deputy
secretary's visit reassured Southeast Asia that it
remains on Washington's radar screen.
Symbolically, Zoellick observed the 60th
anniversary of the end of World War II in the
Asian theater, at Corrigedor in the Philippines.
In terms of style, Zoellick was
impressive. At various stops, he stated his
interest in "consulting with our [Southeast Asian]
partners, sharing some ideas and listening to
their thoughts about the direction for the next
four years". The emphasis on consultation and
listening regarding issues of common concern was
accompanied by material aid in the form of a
substantial post-tsunami reconstruction package
for Indonesia and promises of help with economic
liberalization in Vietnam. When he publicly
discussed thorny issues, such as Myanmar's
upcoming chairmanship of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and religious
freedom in Vietnam, Zoellick was diplomatic: he
appeared firm but not overbearing or hectoring.
More important, in terms of substance, the deputy
secretary made all the right noises about issues
most important to the region while taking a
broader and more consultative approach to the key
issue for the US - terrorism.
The emphasis
on economic issues during Zoellick's trip was
particularly appreciated in a region that has
labored under the US foreign-policy banner of the
"second front" in the war against terrorism since
2002. As a former US trade representative
(2001-2005) responsible for negotiating a wide
range of trade agreements, including the
US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and the
US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, Zoellick is
familiar with the economic and developmental
imperative in Southeast Asia. During his stops in
Bangkok and Singapore, he stressed the Bush
administration's determination to negotiate more
free trade agreements (FTA) with other countries
such as Thailand and Malaysia. However, he was
also careful to explain that US FTAs take a longer
time to negotiate as they are more comprehensive
than agreements offered by other countries such as
China.
A key aim of Zoellick's trip was to
highlight US reconstruction aid to Indonesia after
the December 2004 tsunami. He duly traveled to
Aceh, where he signed an agreement to build a
US$245 million road along the devastated
province's western coast. The deputy secretary
also pledged a broader economic development
assistance package for Indonesia, committing $73.7
million over the next five years. This offer by
the US comes on the heels of China's recent pledge
of $5 million in assistance and $300 million in
low-interest loans for reconstruction in
Indonesia's disaster zones.
Zoellick's
schedule also included meetings with business
people and politicians about the changing
Vietnamese economy as well as visits to technology
parks in Vietnam and Singapore. In Manila, he
announced a $10 million military financing package
for defense reform in the Philippines.
The
other important set of issues addressed by
Zoellick concerned Southeast and East Asian
regionalism. On this subject, he sent two signals.
First, a warning that Southeast Asian solidarity
may get in the way of US-ASEAN relations if the
association were to accept Myanmar as its chair
next year. While the issue is yet to be resolved,
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's
government had the opportunity during the deputy
secretary's visit to play up its own role as a
mediator on the issue.
Second, Zoellick
signaled that Washington is eager for Indonesia to
revive its leadership role in ASEAN, which
declined after the 1997 financial crisis. This is
because of the confluence of three factors
conducive to American interests: the desire to
support democratically elected President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono; the recognized importance of
Indonesia as the world's largest, and relatively
moderate, Muslim country; and Jakarta's support
for an open, inclusive Asian regionalism that will
not exclude the US.
While counterterrorism
cooperation was discussed throughout the deputy
secretary's trip, the topic was relatively
underplayed in public. Only in the Philippines did
he discuss at length terrorism involving Muslim
rebels in southern Mindanao linking up with Jemaah
Islamiyah and al-Qaeda. Even then, however, he
adopted a softer line than the US charge
d'affaires to the Philippines, who last month
remarked that Mindanao was fast turning into a
center for terrorists and risked becoming another
Afghanistan.
Instead, Zoellick focused on
Islamic extremism, recognizing that Southeast Asia
is increasingly important in the intra-Muslim
struggle for the "soul of Islam". He spent time in
Malaysia talking to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
about Islam hadhari, or "civilizational
Islam", and consulting with scholars and members
of religious parties and human-rights groups,
suggesting that the country held lessons for Iraq
and Palestine.
From the Southeast Asian
point of view, Zoellick's tour was associated with
some significant political developments. Over the
next two months, Yudhoyono, Singaporean Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Vietnamese Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai will visit Washington. US
strategic ties with certain countries have been
reaffirmed: the US-Malaysia defense agreement
providing for logistical support, supplies, and
services has been extended for another 10 years;
Zoellick also declared US-Singapore ties to be
"exceptional".
Zoellick's remarks
addressing China and Southeast Asia at the end of
his tour in Singapore were particularly
encouraging. Saying it would be "foolish and
ineffective" to try to "contain" growing Chinese
influence in Southeast Asia, Zoellick sounded a
positive note by insisting that Washington needs
instead to pursue its own "activist agenda" toward
the region, especially through deepening economic
ties.
This attitude reflects an
understanding of the key concerns and interests of
Southeast Asian states, which have constantly
argued that they do not want to choose between
China and the US, but would rather develop and
deepen economic and political relations with both
countries. The economic assistance and strategic
initiatives offered during Zoellick's trip also
served to remind the region that the US still
retains greater capacity than China to contribute
to economic development and security in Southeast
Asia.
By demonstrating that Washington
recognizes the economic imperative of the region,
that it would rather peacefully compete with
Chinese economic influence in Southeast Asia, and
that it can address more sensitively top US
strategic priorities that are shared by these
nations but subject to domestic constraints and
sensitivities, Zoellick has performed a
significant service in boosting US relations with
the region.
Certainly, Southeast Asia will
keep a sharp eye out for concrete results,
especially regarding the progress of FTA
negotiations with Thailand and Malaysia and the
resumption of military ties between the US and
Indonesia. For now, however, if the renewed
diplomacy demonstrated by Zoellick reflects the
Bush administration's attitude toward the region,
we may be looking forward to fruitful US-ASEAN
relations for the next four years.
Dr Evelyn Goh is an assistant
professor at the Institute of Defense and
Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological
University. She can be reached at
isclgoh@ntu.edu.sg.
(Used by permission of
Pacific Forum CSIS) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
© Copyright 1999 - 2005 Asia Times
Online Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Rm 202, Hau Fook Mansion, No. 8 Hau Fook St., Kowloon, Hong
Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
