DATE=7/6/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=U-S-CHINA - TRACK TWO
NUMBER=5-46614
BYLINE=STEPHANIE MANN
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: When Chinese and American negotiators resume
arms control talks in Beijing Friday, some ideas that
arise during their discussions may have originated in
what is called the "Track Two" dialogue. As V-O-A's
Stephanie Mann reports, ongoing behind-the-scenes
track two talks have helped the United States and
China confront differences on many sensitive issues,
including weapons proliferation.
TEXT: Sino-U-S relations are troubled by several
especially sensitive issues -- human rights, weapons
sales, trade disputes and Taiwan. These problem areas
have made normal diplomacy difficult and, at times,
nearly impossible.
Yet, for more than a decade, American and Chinese
scholars have met periodically and held serious and
friendly conversations on ways to overcome these and
other issues of special sensitivity. These unofficial
exchanges are part of what is called the "track two"
dialogue.
Asia specialist Douglas Paal has participated in
several track two meetings with Chinese counterparts.
/// PAAL ACT ONE ///
They can address sensitive issues in a more open
and exploratory fashion without having to have
all the caveats and cautions that a government
official would have to introduce.
/// END ACT ///
Douglas Paal is president of the Washington research
and consulting firm, Asia Pacific Policy Center, and
was on the U-S National Security Council staff during
the Bush administration. He says the Chinese
participants are scholars from academic institutions
and are able to discuss issues in a more open way than
Chinese officials would be able to do. But Mr. Paal
says they still have links to the government.
/// PAAL ACT TWO ///
There wouldn't have to be track two dialogues if
it weren't China that was reluctant to get
involved ... And the fact that they can simply
put on their clothes of unofficiality to
participate, loosens up the Chinese system to be
more speculative and experimental than it would
be normally, because it becomes very hide-bound
and bureaucratic when there isn't some cover
story about unofficiality.
/// END ACT ///
Another frequent U-S participant in the track two
process, Asia security expert Ronald Montaperto, says
some of the Americans also have close ties to
government.
/// MONTAPERTO ACT ONE ///
For example, I think it's not a secret that my
own institute, the Institute for National
Strategic Studies is affiliated with the
Department of Defense. That gives us an
official connection, and it gives us some entree
and I think a certain amount of responsibility.
There are similar Chinese organizations.
/// END ACT ///
However, the participants are not speaking for their
governments and not making any commitments for them.
Yet, both governments know these talks occur and
expect to get reports about the ideas discussed.
In fact, according to Mr. Montaperto, a professor at
the National Defense University in Washington, many
ideas first proposed during track two dialogues have
eventually found their way into policy. As examples,
he points to the Taiwan issue and China's effort to
join the World Trade Organization.
/// MONTAPERTO ACT TWO ///
I think if one goes back over the historical
record of what China has said to Taiwan and what
Taiwan has said to China over the years, many of
the ideas that have been articulated by the
respective sides in their dialogue have their
roots in processes that could be described as
track two processes. That is one area.
Certainly some of the ideas and some of the
understandings that were reflected in
discussions having to do with W-T-O accession --
economic reform and so on -- have come out of
track two processes.
/// END ACT ///
Professor Montaperto says he expects the new round of
U-S/Chinese arms control talks to reflect some
influence by the track two dialogue. Without wanting
to go into detail, he says the U-S side may modify its
approach to the negotiation as a result of ideas that
came out of the track two process.
/// REST OPT ///
Track two meetings are different from normal academic
conferences because they are much smaller and more
focused. Track two dialogues sometimes include as few
as 10 people and usually no more than 40. Because of
that intimacy, the participants are able to develop a
rapport with their counterparts that often is not
possible when meetings are official in nature.
Some gatherings just involve American and Chinese
participants, but sometimes -- depending on the topic
-- others are included, such as scholars from Taiwan
or Japan. Funding for the track two talks can come
from the respective governments, independent
foundations or corporate sponsors.
Americans engage in similar unofficial behind-the-
scenes discussions with other countries. The United
States holds such dialogues with Poland, Russia France
and India. Douglas Paal says it would be useful to
have a track two process -- including India, Pakistan,
Russia, China and others -- to deal with the South
Asian security problem.
/// PAAL ACT THREE ///
It's been a downward trajectory with the arrival
of nuclear weapons and missiles in the arsenals
of both India and Pakistan. And China's own
military capabilities are not unrelated to those
developments. The U-S has a strong interest in
resisting proliferation. These governments are
all highly sensitive, however, and I think track
two would be a good place to start broaching
ideas for capping military modernization and for
finding lasting solutions to security problems
in South Asia.
/// END ACT ///
For the past decade, there has been an annual track
two dialogue between the United States and Australia,
involving academics, business leaders and government
officials, in a private capacity. The group plans to
gather next week (7/11-13) in Washington for talks on
Asian security issues, world trade problems and the
politics of evolving technology. Past meetings have
helped participants better understand changes in the
Asia-Pacific region, in particular political troubles
in Indonesia and the recent Asian financial crisis.
(SIGNED)
NEB/SMN/JP
06-Jul-2000 12:44 PM EDT (06-Jul-2000 1644 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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