Foreign and Military Affairs
Wen to US: Be constructive
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-31 09:08
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 Premier Wen Jiabao says the process of economic integration in East Aisa must consider each country's main concern and situation. [Photo/Agencies] |
As Washington and Moscow join the East Asia Summit, China affirms role of ASEAN
Hanoi - Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday said China welcomed the United States and Russia to the East Asia Summit group, and hoped the new members would play a constructive role.
Addressing the meeting, Wen also reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN in East Asian cooperation.
He said the process of East Asian economic integration must respect and consider every country's situation and major concerns while respecting the leading position of ASEAN. It must also bring into play the existing mechanisms such as the summit between China and ASEAN (10+1), the summit between ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) and the summit of China, Japan and South Korea.
The East Asia Summit currently comprises the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
The US and Russian foreign ministers attended the later sessions of the summit on Saturday as the special guests of Vietnam, which is chairing ASEAN in rotation.
The leaders of the two countries will take part in the regional dialogue beginning next year.
Commenting on the EAS enlargement, former Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, who is currently with the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom, said earlier that Beijing "values and respects the consensus of ASEAN and is ready to stay in communication with other parties so as to finally reach consensus through consultations".
He emphasized that the evolution of the regional architecture should be conducive to promoting peace, development, cooperation and prosperity of East Asia as well as respecting its diversity.
Analysts say the enlargement of the East Asia Summit would help ASEAN seek a better balance between big powers, an inevitable strategy for smaller nations.
While ASEAN economies have benefited much from China, they also fear its growing influence and they welcome the United States as a counterbalance to the dominant regional power, said Niu Xinchun, a US studies specialist at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
"However, ASEAN is also wary of US intervention in its domestic affairs, so it is not bent on containing China," said Niu.
Jin Canrong, professor with Beijing-based Renmin University, warned that ASEAN might risk losing its leading role if the US is to get deeply involved.
"Open regionalism is what the Chinese government is constantly upholding," Jin said. "But China hopes to see a constructive role for the US, to provide more public good such as anti-terrorism and disaster relief, rather than provocative behavior in stirring up dispute."
The US has been distracted by the Middle East in the past decade, and it is time the current administration shifts its focus, said Gong Li, an expert of international strategic research at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Shen Dingli, director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, argued that "the US has never made a retreat".
"US troops never left the military bases in Japan and Republic of Korea. And there is a non-stop, consistent effort to improve ties with Southeast Asian countries," Shen said. "The Obama administration is simply reaffirming its commitment to be in Asia."
Wen left Hanoi for Shanghai on Saturday and will take part in the closing ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo on Sunday.
