Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) A visiting, formerly high-ranking, Japanese official called for the establishment of an East Asian Security Forum to tackle various security issues in the region in a speech delivered in Taipei Tuesday.
He also encouraged Taiwan to pursue in a substantial, instead of an identity-based way, its goal of integrating itself into the East Asian community of nations.
Taiwan is a substantial entity in the East Asia region and should, step by step, pursue integration into the East Asian security network, said Hitoshi Tanaka, Japan's former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, now a senior fellow at Japan's Center for International Exchange (JCIE).
Tanaka, a senior diplomat with a 37-years experience who recently retired, discussed a wide range of topics, including North Korea, China and the future architecture of security in East Asia, in a panel discussion organized by Taiwan Thinktank.
China presents huge opportunity and considerable uncertainty, Tanaka said, given that it needs strong domestic economic growth to maintain the substantial development. He would like to see China make the most of that opportunity, act responsibly, and learn to "socialize" with the international community -- for instance by abiding by safety and industrial standards and other international rules.
East Asia is rapidly changing in many ways, which is why it is in need of a new regional body capable of taking proactive steps on security issues such as human and drug trafficking, infectious disease, resource scarcity, maritime piracy, and WMD proliferation, all of which continue to pose threats to regional stability, Tanaka said.
The East Asian community is envisioned as supplying multilateral, multi-layer processes and mechanisms. It will not be a single institution or organization, he said.