TEN years have passed since the first Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) opened in Bangkok, but Asian and European leaders are still struggling to prove that their forum results in more than just hot air. Leaders and top officials from 38 Asian and European countries rounded off ASEM's latest episode in Helsinki on Monday with grand statements on problems ranging from security, trade and terrorism. But concrete decisions were noticeable for their absence.
Eager to show that together they can produce results on the global stage, the leaders agreed to a grand declaration to keep up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, although even on that point hard details were scarce. The leaders also glossed over prickly issues such as human rights issues in China and rising European protectionism against Asian imports. "I think the raison d'etre of ASEM is its role as a talk shop between Europe and Asia, despite differences on the issues of human rights, democracy and environment," said Seiji Endo, professor of international politics at Seikei University in Tokyo.
Officials attending the summit were quick to stress that is ASEM meant to improve ties between the two regions at the highest level rather than taking firm decisions. "The ASEM summit is not a place for discussing a specific issue to a seek solution," said Jinen Nagase, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary. However, the director of the Brussels-based European Institute for Asian Studies, Willem Van Der Geest, said that there was a real need to strengthen the forum, which could be done by taking binding decisions. "It's really quite important that there is some deepening that takes place and binding agreements are needed for that process," he said.
"If you want to really get some results, you have to go deeper and work on a long term path of what kind of joint regulations and responsibilities you are going to have," he added. In the meantime, the leaders sought to boost ASEM's global relevance by extending its reach and inviting India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Romania to join the club. Although bringing in more members will not make up for what ASEM lacks in depth, broadening it out will put it on a more equal footing with other groupings, such as the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation.
Created in 1996 to act as a counterweight to Asia's and Europe's reliance on the United States, ASEM has since remained in the shadow of the more focused 21-member Apec, which groups the United States, China, Russia and other large economies. Even without ASEM's new members, Asia has increasingly become a more equal partner for Europe, thanks in large part to the region's rapidly developing economies. With 40 per cent of the world's population, the two regions represented in Helsinki generate about 50 per cent of global gross domestic product and 60 per cent of world trade.
But the balance of trade is rapidly moving in Asia's favour, in particular due to the meteoric economic rise of China. EU leaders are also keen to rival powerful US influence in a region where a few decades ago several European states still possessed colonies. And Europe would like to get China, which has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, on its side on issues such as Iran's nuclear programme. The next ASEM heads of state meeting is scheduled for 2008 in Beijing.
By Leigh Thomas in Helsink
© Oman Daily Observer 2006
