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Pacific Forum CSIS Comparative Connections A Quarterly E-Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations edited by Brad Glosserman Sun Namkung 1st Quarter (January-March) 2007 Vol. 9, No. 1 April 2007 www.csis.org/pacfor/ccejournal.html Pacific Forum CSIS Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Pacific Forum CSIS operates as the autonomous Asia Pacific arm of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1975, the thrust of the Forum’s work is to help develop cooperative policies in the Asia Pacific region through debate and analyses undertaken with the region’s leaders in the academic, government, and corporate arenas. The Forum’s programs encompass current and emerging political, security, economic/business, and oceans policy issues. It collaborates with a network of more than 30 research institutes around the Pacific Rim, drawing on Asian perspectives and disseminating its projects’ findings and recommendations to opinion leaders, governments, and publics throughout the region. An international Board of Governors guides the Pacific Forum’s work. The Forum is funded by grants from foundations, corporations, individuals, and governments, the latter providing a small percentage of the forum’s $1.2 million annual budget. The Forum’s studies are objective and nonpartisan and it does not engage in classified or proprietary work. Comparative Connections A Quarterly E-Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations Edited by Brad Glosserman and Sun Namkung Volume 9, Number 1 First Quarter (January-March) 2007 Honolulu, Hawaii April 2007 Comparative Connections A Quarterly Electronic Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations Bilateral relationships in East Asia have long been important to regional peace and stability, but in the post-Cold War environment, these relationships have taken on a new strategic rationale as countries pursue multiple ties, beyond those with the U.S., to realize complex political, economic, and security interests. How one set of bilateral interests affects a country’s other key relations is becoming more fluid and complex, and at the same time is becoming more central to the region’s overall strategic compass. Comparative Connections, Pacific Forum’s quarterly electronic journal on East Asian bilateral relations edited by Brad Glosserman and Sun Namkung, with Ralph A. Cossa serving as senior editor, was created in response to this unique environment. Comparative Connections provides timely and insightful analyses on key bilateral relationships in the region, including those involving the U.S. We regularly cover 12 key bilateral relationships that are critical for the region. While we recognize the importance of other states in the region, our intention is to keep the core of the e-journal to a manageable and readable length. Because our project cannot give full attention to each of the relationships in Asia, coverage of U.S.-Southeast Asia and China- Southeast Asia countries consists of a summary of individual bilateral relationships, and may shift focus from country to country as events warrant. Other bilateral relationships may be tracked periodically (such as various bilateral relationships with India or Australia’s significant relationships) as events dictate. Our aim is to inform and interpret the significant issues driving political, economic, and security affairs of the U.S. and East Asian relations by an ongoing analysis of events in each key bilateral relationship. The reports, written by a variety of experts in Asian affairs, focus on political/security developments, but economic issues are also addressed. Each essay is accompanied by a chronology of significant events occurring between the states in question during the quarter. A regional overview section places bilateral relationships in a broader context of regional relations. By providing value-added interpretative analyses, as well as factual accounts of key events, the e-journal illuminates patterns in Asian bilateral relations that may appear as isolated events and better defines the impact bilateral relationships have upon one another and on regional security. Comparative Connections: A Quarterly Electronic Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations (print ISSN 1930-5370, online E-ISSN 1930-5389) is published four times annually (January, April, July, and October) at 1001 Bishop Street, Pauahi Tower, Suite 1150, Honolulu, HI 96813. ii Table of Contents Regional Overview:………………………………………………………………………1 Renewed Hope in the Year of the Golden Pig by Ralph A. Cossa, Pacific Forum CSIS, and Brad Glosserman, Pacific Forum CSIS The Year of the Golden Pig has gotten off to an auspicious beginning. The Six-Party Talks, seemingly left for dead at the end of last quarter, were miraculously revived, resulting in an “action for action” game plan for the phased implementation of the September 2005 joint denuclearization agreement. Neither weather nor terrorism concerns prevented the second East Asia Summit from taking place as rescheduled, with the U.S. nowhere to be found. ASEAN leaders took a step forward in examining their first formal Charter while agreeing with their Plus Three partners (China, Japan, and South Korea, finally once again on speaking terms) to promote greater regional integration. Tokyo and Canberra moved to strengthen bilateral security cooperation, while the second “Armitage-Nye Report” was released, laying out a bipartisan vision for “getting Asia right.” U.S.-Japan Relations:…………………………………………………………….…….19 An Unexpected Rough Patch by Michael J. Green, CSIS, and Shinjiro Koizumi, CSIS The first quarter turned out to be a rough patch not only for President Bush and Prime Minister Abe domestically, but also for the U.S.-Japan alliance. In the U.S., the shock came from comments made by Abe and other political leaders in response to U.S. Congressional hearings regarding “comfort women” (women put into brothels for the Japanese army during World War II). In Japan, the shock came from the sudden shift in U.S. policy toward North Korea with the Feb. 13 Six-Party Talks agreement. For the first time since the 1995 Okinawa rape incident, editorials in both countries raised questions of trust in the other. Despite this Sturm und Drang in the press and the legislatures, this quarter also saw a marked increase in high-level attention to Japan from the Bush administration. Meanwhile, Japan moved ahead with steps to strengthen its security policy institutions, passing legislation that elevates the Defense Agency to a ministry and introducing new legislation to establish a U.S.-style National Security Council. iii U.S.-China Relations:…………………………………………………………….…….29 Old and New Challenges: ASAT Test, Taiwan, and Trade by Bonnie S. Glaser, CSIS/Pacific Forum CSIS China’s anti-satellite test against a defunct Chinese weather satellite on Jan. 11 prompted concern and criticism from around the world. A decision to allow Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to make stopovers in the U.S. and notification to Congress of a possible arms sale to Taiwan led to Chinese protests. A Private Property Law and Corporate Tax Law were passed at the National People’s Congress. U.S. officials credited China with making positive contributions toward strengthening the international system, notably in the Six- Party Talks, but urged China to do more. In a possible signal of toughening U.S. trade policy, the Commerce Department slapped duties on imports of coated paper, reversing a decades-old policy of not applying duties to subsidized goods from non-market economies. Sino-U.S. military ties advanced with reciprocal visits by the deputy chief of General Staff of the PLA, and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. U.S.-Korea Relations:…………………………………………………………………..43 Unexpected Progress on All Fronts by Donald G. Gross, The Atlantic Council of the United States North Korea promised to shut down and seal its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon this quarter in a deal that could lead to the implementation of the Six-Party Talks September 2005 Joint Statement. In return, the Bush administration agreed to transfer back to North Korea its $25 million in funds that were frozen since the fall of 2005 in a Macau bank for alleged laundering of U.S. money. Despite the political will on both sides, “technical issues” involving financial regulations prevented the funds from being transferred as scheduled, which contributed to the early adjournment of the sixth round of the nuclear talks. At quarter’s end, U.S. diplomats expected a quick resolution to the banking issues. The U.S. reached an historic free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, the largest since NAFTA and the first with a major Asian nation. The U.S. and South Korea also made progress on the relocation of U.S. bases and dissolution of the Joint Forces Command by 2012. U.S.-Russia Relations:………………………………………………………………….55 Coming Full Circle by Joseph Ferguson, National Council for Eurasian and East European Research The opening of 2007 witnessed perhaps the nadir in bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington since the establishment of the “strategic partnership” in the war on terror in late 2001. In a highly publicized speech in Munich in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a broadside against U.S. foreign policy, suggesting that the U.S. seemed to view force as the only policy option at its disposal. If relations did not return to the dark days of the Cold War, then the series of events that transpired this quarter did resemble a return to the tumultuous days of the late 1990s. But, in an interesting twist, by late March it appeared that Moscow and Washington had agreed on the need to foil Iran’s bid to march down the road to uranium enrichment. Thus the quarter concluded on a favorable note, hinting that – at least temporarily – the bilateral relationship had regained sounder footing. iv U.S.-Southeast Asia Relations:………………………………………………………...63 Military Support and Political Concerns by Sheldon W. Simon, Arizona State University U.S. military support for Philippine counterterrorism forces has led to significant gains against Abu Sayyaf, though Philippine complaints about the Visiting Forces Agreement continue in the aftermath of the rape conviction of a U.S.
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