D. Territorial Disputes

As already noted, both the removal of the Cold War overlay and domestic factors have influenced the re-emergence of territorial disputes in recent years. Among those that have the greatest potential for destabilizing the region are the reunification of China and Taiwan and the South China Sea disputes, although the disputes between South Korea and Japan over the Takeshima (Tokto) islands and that between China and Japan over the Senkaku (Tiao-yu-tai) islands have occasionally created tension in their bilateral relations.

In South-East Asia, especially in ASEAN, disputes over territory have been allowed to recede into the background in order to widen and deepen regional cooperation and promote stability and security. A recent case is the "normalization" of relations between the Philippines and Malaysia by agreeing to set the Sabah dispute aside and not to allow it to stall other areas of cooperation.11 However, this is not the case in North-East Asia. Cross-straits relations in March 1996 threatened to disrupt regional peace and security as Chinese missiles hit targets dangerously close to Taiwan's major ports and population centres. The incident was a chilling reminder to the region that despite Chinese rhetoric about the primacy of economic development and interdependence, when primordial issues like nationalism are involved, economics tends to take the back seat once again. It is also rather notable that despite cross-straits tension, China and Taiwan remained on the same side of their territorial dispute with Japan over the Senkaku islands. China and Taiwan also remained on the same side of the South China Sea disputes with ASEAN member countries despite their independent diplomacy to move closer to ASEAN.

These disputes are not nearing their resolution, not only because they are embedded in this history of hostile and antagonistic bilateral relations and are therefore highly sensitive, but they also involve nationalism, strategic considerations and the search for critical energy resources for the near and medium terms in the case of other territorial disputes in the region. These make their resolution difficult and challenging.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 825