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Op-Ed
Searching for the Win-Win in East Asia
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A. G. de Agreda
By Angel Gomez de Agreda
"In this traitorous world nothing is true, nor it is false; it all depends on the color of the crystal you look through," said Campoamor, a noted Spanish poet from the late 19th century.
Across the world from Spain, the Senkakus are seen in a different light in Tokyo and Beijing. There is more pride than profit at stake; at least as regards the islands themselves.
There is actually "no territorial issue."
Francis Fukuyama argues that ideology is no longer the cause of wars. If he is right we will have to conclude that what Beijing is truly seeking is either access to the resources around the Senkakus or else free passage through their channels towards the open ocean; or both.
Norway and Russia just signed an agreement regarding disputed territorial waters in the Sea of Barents. Norway will gain access to resources and provide state-of-the-art drilling technology which the Russians lack.
This becomes a win-win situation in which two potential rivals end up being potential allies in further discussions about the Arctic.
There is little to be gained by either Japan or China in the current state of affairs. Both nations rely on the same maritime lines of communications and there is a huge potential for cooperation in many other areas.
China's arrival to the already crowded train of Asian economic powers means that we are all going to face a tighter situation, including China herself.
Still, China needs to pay more attention to the subtleties that rule life in the train and avoid using her elbows to make herself comfortable.
Angel Gomez de Agreda is a lieutenant-colonel of the Spanish Air Force, currently seconded as professor at the National Defense Higher Studies Center in Madrid (Spain).
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