Obama and Asia’s Two Futures

Asia must choose between two futures, according to Yuriko Koike, former Japanese defense minister: a multilateral structure of peace or a system of strategic military alliances dominated by China. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii gave US President Barack Obama a constructive role in managing a problematic rise of China with aspirations of other regional powers, including India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. The summit was timely “because a number of critical Asian issues are coming to a boil,” with concerns about China’s assertiveness. The US had put political issues in Asia on a backburner, instead focusing on terrorism and economic crises. “China, it is plain to see, is at the root of most of the disputes troubling Asia,” contends Yuriko. She states that Obama should heed the shift of economic power to Asia, and invest political capital in ensuring a lasting structure of peace to accommodate the many growing powers. The US and China must cooperate in promoting balanced and fair regional order. – YaleGlobal