[Opinion] Cooperation-Peace in East Asia to Be Opened up

The fifth `ASEAN plus Three summit among South Korea, China, and Japan` was held in the capitol of Brunei. When the first summit of the 13 countries was held in 1997, many Asian countries including South Korea were facing financial crisis. Although summit was held every year since then, the countries were not in the condition in which they could actively promote the regional cooperation because every East Asian country was concentrating on the overcome of economic crisis. However, the `AEAN plus South Korean-China-Japan Summit` is expected to infuse the formation of East Asia cooperation with new vitality.

Especially, President Kim Dae-Jung declared at the Brunei Summit that South Korea would play the central role in promoting the regional cooperation in East Asia by proposing the adoption of report of the East Asia Vision Group (EAVG), which aims at the building of `East Asia community`. The EAVG is a private organization consisted of 26 scholars from the 13 member countries including myself, proposed by President Kim in 1998.

The report of the EAVG proposed the formation of `East Asian community` that aims at the cooperation of the various fields such as economy, politics, national security, society, culture, and education. Economy is expected to play the motive power in the establishment of such a community. The EAVG proposed to establish EAFTA, EAMF, and EAIA for the economic cooperation. Especially, the EAFTA assumes the free trade which goes ahead of the schedule of either WTO or APEC in East Asia. The EAVG report also proposed to develop the `ASEAN plus South Korea-China-Japan Summit` into the `East Asia Summit`. This means that the 13 countries` East Asia summit, which has been lead by the ASEAN, can be held in Northeast Asia. At the same time, the report proposes to establish the `East Asia Forum` consisted by both civilian and the government.

There are some people who are skeptical about the formation of East Asia cooperation. What they argue is whether it is necessary to have another regional community in the global era. When the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad promoted the `East Asian Economic Cooperation (EAEC)` ten years ago, the U.S., Canada, and Australia opposed to that because it could become an exclusive organization, and could weaken the APEC. However, to strengthen the regional cooperation in East Asia along with the community does not simply aim to correspond to another communities such as the `EU` or the `NAFTA`.

The purpose of establishing the East Asian community is fivefold. First, it is to release the conflict among the East Asian countries and to promote peace. Especially, cooperation and balance of China and Japan is necessary. For example, one of the biggest achievements of the EC or the ASEAN is that it has brought up the internal cooperation and peace. Second, it is to strengthen the regional cooperation in trade, finance, and the economic development. Third, it aims to cooperate in the field of environment, education, and resource, and to make common effort to establish effective and democratic ruling system. Fourth, it is to promote the cooperation and solidarity between the two pillars of East Asia, namely, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. Last, it is to establish tie and identity of East Asia through the mutual exchange and cooperation.

In the process of forming such East Asian community, our nation can play its characteristic central role. South Korea can be a bridge between China and Japan in Northeast Asia, and between superpowers of Northeast Asia and small-middle countries of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the Pacific Asian countries including the U.S. can lay aside suspicion on the East Asian community to some extent if South Korea takes the lead. The birth of regional community in which South Korea participates as a major country not only expands our diplomatic condition, but also can help to improve the relationship with North Korea. We should pay attention to the fact that the existence of the EC smoothed the relationship between East and West Germany.

Han Seong-Joo (Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Korea University)