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‘Asian powers can improve regional peace’

Beijing: India, China and Japan, the three leading Asian powers, must hold trilateral strategic dialogues “to deepen mutual trust and ensure peace, stability and development in Asia,” a leading Chinese scholar has said.

It would not only be beneficial for enhanced mutual trust but also for regional peace, stability and development, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Sun Shihai, said.

“There is already a bilateral strategic dialogue mechanism between China and India and China and Japan. We should try and promote a trilateral strategic dialogue between the three major powers for the benefit of Asia as a whole,” Mr. Sun told PTI here while commenting on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s just-concluded visit to India.

Japan and India have intensified bilateral relations recently causing concerns among scholars, who fear the alliance would ‘contain’ China, Mr. Sun said.

Some Chinese scholars were concerned about Japan’s ‘real intentions’ since Tokyo was an ‘ally’ of the United States. The U.S. security policy has an influence on Japan and this could in turn exert some influence on Japan-India relations as well, he said. On the emerging quadripartite relations among India, the United States, Japan and Australia, Mr. Sun described it as a bad move that would break unity among Asian countries.

“It would divide Asia. The so-called alliance is not good for the region,” he said. It would also go against India’s growing interests in the East Asia region as countries in the region would not want to take sides.

“The so-called democratic alliance excludes not only China, but also other countries in the region,” Mr. Sun, a prominent Chinese scholar on South Asian affairs, said.

Meanwhile, another Chinese scholar has expressed concern over Japan’s real intentions in befriending India.

“If Japan wants to have good relations with India it is okay. But if it is aimed at exerting pressure on China or containing China, it is dangerous,” Research Professor of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Ma Jiali said.

“There are some countries who want to see conflicts between China and India,” he said without naming any country. The official Xinhua news agency, in an analytical piece on Mr. Abe’s visit to three Asian nations — Indonesia, India and Malaysia — concluded that on the diplomatic, economic and environment-protection aspects, the Japanese Prime Minister has “generally achieved the expected goals” through the tour.

Besides describing India as a partner that shares the same values and interests, Mr. Abe reiterated his belief that India-Japan relations are “blessed with the largest potential” of any bilateral relationship in the world and that a strong India is in Japan’s interest and vice-versa.

In the defence and security field, Mr. Abe and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, agreed to have their diplomats and defence officials study future cooperation by the time they meet again next year in Japan, it noted.

Mr. Abe also consented to send the Marine Self-Defence Force to participate in the multilateral military exercise in the Bay of Bengal. Japanese media said the latest developments marked the initial steps of building a bilateral strategic partnership, Xinhua noted.

On economic area, Mr. Abe’s main achievement in the tour was that he reached a consensus with the Indian leader to sign an economic cooperation agreement in an early date to repeal 90 per cent of tariff, it noted.

To help India improve its infrastructure, Mr. Abe extended the Japanese government’s offer of 40 billion yen in loan to assist the construction of an express cargo railway linking New Delhi and Bombay. — PTI

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