Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The European Union (EU) can be used as reference for regional integration in East Asia, and as a member of such a community, Taiwan would be better positioned to have an influential global role, scholars said at an international forum in Taipei Wednesday.
A contemporary East Asia is likely to build a common framework with a rising China, and if Taiwan joins the regional community, its security will be guaranteed over the long term in a peaceful multilateral mechanism, said Ken Endo, a professor of International Politics at Japan's Hokkaido University.
Taiwan would also find itself "better positioned in a more peaceful international environment, equipped with more resources and channels to tame Beijing and to exert influence in the world, " Endo said.
The discussion among scholars from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan focused on "Regional Integration in East Asia: with the European historical experience as a reference point."
The forum, organized jointly by Hokkaido University and the thinktank Taiwan Brain Trust, examined the idea of an East Asian community (EAC), which was promoted by Japan's former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during the country's 2009 general election campaign.
Hatoyama proposed a trade and security bloc comprising 16 member countries of the East Asia Summit, including Japan, Korea, China, India, Australia and New Zealand.
In a keynote speech at the forum, Endo challenged a number of conventional views, including the idea the EU's supranational model would alienate or bypass Taiwan as it favors and is based on the rapprochement between Tokyo and Beijing, and Taiwan's sovereign rights will be compromised.
Citing the EU as an example, Endo said that inclusion in an EAC would actually enhance Taiwan's sovereignty, although Taiwan's legal status is always subject to dispute and Taiwan would probably have to apply for EAC membership under the name Chinese Taipei.
Like EU, the EAC will collaborate with the United States and will not be a bloc to offset the U.S.' influence, he said, adding that this would serve Taiwan's interest because its security heavily depends on the U.S.
But some of the other scholars said the EU model is not appropriate for implementation in East Asia.
Historical disputes between East Asian countries still run deep, which makes it extremely difficult to achieve regional integration, said Ohn Daewon, associate dean of the Graduate School of International and Area Studies at South Korea's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Wu Chih-chung, Secretary-General of Taiwan's European Union Study Association, and Wang Szu-wei, an assistant professor of European studies at Nanhua University, both agreed that, unlike European countries, East Asian countries do not share the same values, religious rights or political systems and it will therefore be very difficult to establish a regional bloc.
However, "we can at least try to learn from the spirit of EU member states and their strong political will to create a better future for their children, " Wu said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc