Prospect for Regional Security in Asia Pacific

Running head: PROSPECT FOR REGIONAL SECURITY IN ASIA PACIFIC
Prospect for Regional Security in Asia Pacific
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1PROSPECT FOR REGIONAL SECURITY IN ASIA PACIFIC
Intellectual root of the regional security evolved on account of geopolitical writing of
late 19th and that of the early 20th century. At the time of the Cold war, regional security was
defined in relation to a position that a region had pertaining to strategic calculation of United
States or that of the Soviet Union. The power of China is increasing in the present age on
account of the growth of the relative capabilities of China (Yahuda 2012, pp 64). The new-
found power of China can play an important role in challenging the global order of the
present age. This essay argues that the prospects in relation to the future regional security
within Asia Pacific is threatened owing to the rising presence of China.
The international system after the Cold War can be stated to be unipolar in relation to
the military influence. The defense of the US is spending half of the military expenditure and
it can be said that the country has a great deal of the power-projection capabilities. The
situation after the Cold War has helped China, India along with Japan in emerging as the big
players within the system. The military capabilities of Russia has helped it in emerging as a
formidable force within the Asia Pacific. The new kind of strategic environment needs new
kind of thinking about the engagement of US within Asia Pacific. China is playing an
important role in intensifying the challenge to the policy makers of US that threatens the
prospect pertaining to regional security in the Asia Pacific.
The growing strength of China would make them pursue the interests in a more
assertive manner that will make the United States to carry out the balancing against it.
International system has undergone major transformations after the year 1980. It has paved
the path for collapse of Soviet Union and ending of Cold War. The growing capabilities of
China would help it in emerging as aggressive state that can help in achieving the regional
hegemony (Breslin 2007, pp 818). The growth of China from a developing state to a
prosperous one would pave the way for a foreign policy that is more assertive. China within
the Asia-Pacific is more involved within process of the ‘complex interdependence’

2PROSPECT FOR REGIONAL SECURITY IN ASIA PACIFIC
(Christensen 2006, pp 82). The regional co-operation for Beijing can act in a feasible manner
that can help in protection of the economic interest of Beijing. The interaction that China
carries out with that of world economy can help in increasing the economic interdependency
in between the China and other countries of world. The liberals have attested to the fact that
increase pertaining to the economic interdependence would decrease likelihood pertaining to
political conflicts (Xinbo 2005, pp 118). The growing power of China can make it replace the
US as the hegemonic power. China wants to gain the regional supremacy as compared to the
global supremacy and it wants to augment the economic power (Saunders 2005, pp 971).
China has been instrumental in emerging as the second largest economy that has changed
security network within the region. The growing influence of China that can be visible in
relation to Asian Infrastructure Development Bank has played a crucial role in challenging
the supremacy of United States.
The power of Japan in influencing the international events can be said to be limited in
nature. The main constraints in relation to the foreign policy of Japan arises on account of the
alliance in between US and the Japan based on the Security Treaty (Armitage and Joseph
2007, pp 98). The US Occupation Policy wanted to keep the Japan weak. This was achieved
with the help of the concept of demilitarisation. This had been achieved with the help of
destroying of armament industry and purging of that of the wartime leaders. United States
was instrumental in changing its mind on account of development of Cold War. It wanted to
make Japan prosperous for bolstering the internal security of Japan against the aspect of
communism (Saunders 2005, pp 980). The leaders in Japan felt that military build up would
pave the path for the antagonising of the victim nations of Japan. Japan wanted to do away
with the large-scale remilitarisation that can help in the economic growth of the country. The
Prime Minister of Japan called Yoshida used the energy of the nation for the production of
the economic growth (Xinbo 2005, pp 118). The political decision of Japan was in fostering