Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Southeast Asia should be Taiwan's strategic focus: scholars

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) Southeast Asia rather than Northeast Asia should be high on Taiwan's strategic radar in the wake of the historic cross-Taiwan Strait trade pact signed earlier this year, scholars said Tuesday.

"Taiwan should focus its strategies on Southeast Asia because its participation and impact in Northeast Asia will be limited, " said Alexander Huang, a professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.

Huang made the comment in a forum that examined Taiwan's economic and political positions and strategic choices following the June signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is likely to be the axis and driving force of Asian economic integration, which is why Taiwan cannot afford to overlook the region, said economist Liu Da-nien, who serves as a researcher at the Chung-hua Institution for Economic Research.

Although the ECFA has given Taiwan some leverage, South Korea, Taiwan's fierce trade competitor, is also active in Northeast Asia, Liu said, adding that a South Korea-European Union free trade agreement (FTA) is expected to take effect this year and it could also launch FTA talks with China soon, which would pose a major challenge for Taiwan.

China has put a lot of resources into Southeast Asian countries, said Lin Chien-fu, an economist at National Taiwan university. He added that Taiwan could either develop bilateral relations with ASEAN countries or do so via China's integration with ASEAN. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J