Emerging Powers and Cooperative Security in Asia

Abstract

Asia has witnessed considerable security challenges for the past two decades such as armed rivalries, both inter- and intra-state, as well as non-traditional threats including terrorism. Though none of them has so far evolved into a real security threat affecting regional stability, Asia is perennially under the threat of a potential military conflict. Unresolved security challenges include the Sino-Japanese and Sino-Indian territorial disputes, and maritime security issues such as in the South China Sea and the potential rivalry between India and China in the Indian Ocean Region could upset the current status quo that has emerged after the end of the cold war. China, the emerging power in Asia, should be considered both as a benign power as well as a security threat for larger peace and stability in Asia. It is necessary for the regional countries, particularly major powers of Asia (India, China and Japan), to develop a constructive security mechanism to ensure long-term peace and stability in Asia. Thus “cooperative balancing” is the norm for Asian security, which has a twin-layered structure for engagement and security cooperation in Asia. The first one is an inner layer of India, China and Japan that interact bilaterally in both balancing as well as being cooperative in nature; in multilateral interaction, the ASEAN countries play a crucial role. The second one is the outer layer in which the United States and other major international stakeholders will play a stabilising role.