Leaders wary over Asia coalition idea

By Zhang Haizhou and Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-04 08:03

DALIAN: In a slight pull back from the enthusiasm of creating an East Asian Community similar to the European Union, politicians and scholars said such a coalition is a long-term ambition for China and Japan with a lengthy debate ahead on which nation should lead it.

The message of patience came from leaders and officials of both countries before the fifth Beijing-Tokyo Forum wrapped up in this northeastern city yesterday.

The two-day event is co-sponsored by China Daily and Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO and gathers members from various fields as politics, economics, media and security.

The issue of "whether to and how to" establish the East Asian Community, an idea the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama had promoted after taking office in September, topped discussions at the forum.

Forming the East Asian Community would help the region achieve "lasting peace", said Wu Jianmin, former Chinese ambassador to France and honorary president of the Bureau of International Exhibitions, who was making a reference to the success of the EU.

"The key experience we have learned is that it resolves bilateral problems through multilateral arrangements," Wu said, adding that nations would find more shared interests in communities.

"Having the East Asian Community should be our long-term goal," Wu said.

Wu also suggested that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in the best position to dominate the community.

The ASEAN, established 42 years ago, can aid East Asian countries for further regional integration, he said.

Wu's idea is shared by Yasushi Akashi, former United Nations' under-secretary-general. Akashi said "the color of East Asia" is too strong in Hatoyama's suggestion for such a community.

"I used to think China was very cautious about forming the community, but it has changed," Akashi said, noting Beijing is now actively pushing forward with the suggestion.

When attending the 15th ASEAN summit and the fourth East Asian summit in Thailand last week, Premier Wen Jiabao called upon regional leaders to "constantly march toward" forming the community.

But Wu Jianghao, a deputy chief of Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, remained skeptical, stating that the community still should be a concept.