Big-power strains hampering Asean

AN appropriate way to describe the situation in which Asean states find themselves nowadays might be to say that they are "torn between two lovers" as Japan and China vie for their loyalty while a third suitor, the US, sometimes appears neglectful of its courtship duties.

It is an invidious position for the South-east Asian nations to be in, as became clear recently when their heads of state converged on Tokyo for the Japan-hosted Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit marking the 40th anniversary of Asean-Japan relations. While there was much talk of "partnership" among the group of "Asean +1" nations, Japanese "leadership" was clearly implied by the tone and content of the many bilateral meetings that Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had with Asean heads of state and political leaders.

It was as though Japan was seeking to fill the regional leadership vacuum created when US President Barack Obama failed to attend the Asean leaders' meeting in Brunei and the Apec summit in Bali in October - or maybe even as if Japan was seeking to act as proxy for the US. The joint statement issued at the end of the summit "recognised the important role that Asean and Japan could play to address regional and global challenges" and then went on to lay out an ambitious agenda for cooperation, with little reference to the role of other East Asian powers. It talked about "strengthening regional cooperation for peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region", maritime security and cooperation, "free and safe aviation", Korean issues, the Middle East, climate change, "transnational threats" and the global economy, among others.