DATE=7/16/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43897
TITLE=U-S AND ASIA
BYLINE=ED WARNER
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: ASIA NEEDS THE UNITED STATES, SAY MEMBERS OF THE ASIAN
PRESS. ITS PRESENCE IN THE REGION IS VITAL FOR ANY NUMBER OF
REASONS. BUT THEY ALSO TAKE EXCEPTION TO VARIOUS U-S POLICIES
AND WONDER HOW FIRM IS THE U-S COMMITMENT TO THEIR REGION.
V-O-A'S ED WARNER REPORTS ON A DISCUSSION AT THE ASIA STUDIES
CENTER OF THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION.
TEXT: WHAT WILL THE UNITED STATES DO NEXT? MEMBERS OF THE ASIAN
PRESS PONDERED THAT QUESTION IN A DISCUSSION AT WASHINGTON'S
HERITAGE FOUNDATION (JULY 16). IN THEIR OPINION, WHATEVER THE
UNITED STATES DOES HAS GREAT IMPORTANCE FOR THEIR REGION. BUT IT
IS OFTEN HARD TO FOLLOW U-S THINKING.
THE STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY OF U-S POLICY MAY INVITE SERIOUS
MISCALCULATION, SAYS KAZUYOSHI NISHIKURA, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
OF JAPAN'S KYODO NEWS AGENCY. ASIAN COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT BE
OVER-CONFIDENT ABOUT U-S SUPPORT, BUT NEITHER SHOULD THEY BE
TOO UNCERTAIN.
JAPAN, IN PARTICULAR, DEPENDS ON THE UNITED STATES FOR ITS
SECURITY:
/// NISHIKURA ACT ///
IF THERE IS ANY SIGN OF CHANGE OR ANY SIGN THAT THE
UNITED STATES IS NOT GOING TO STAY, THEN THE JAPANESE
GET VERY SCARED AND LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES. BUT SO FAR
THERE IS NO SIGN OF THAT. AT PRESENT, THE JAPAN - U-S
SECURITY ALLIANCE IS TOO SOLID TO SHAKE, BUT AT THE SAME
TIME IT IS FACING NEW CHALLENGES.
/// END ACT ///
ONE OF THOSE CHALLENGES IS CHINESE EXPANSIONIST AMBITIONS IN THE
SOUTH CHINA SEA. MR. NISHIKURA SAYS THE UNITED STATES REMAINS
AMBIGUOUS ON THE MATTER.
THE UNITED STATES IS NOT AN ALLY OF INDIA AND ONLY AN
OCCASIONAL FRIEND, SAYS T. V. PARASURAM, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
FOR THE PRESS TRUST OF INDIA. IT ALL DEPENDS ON U-S POLICIES,
WHICH ARE CHANGEABLE.
HE SAYS INDIA WAS ESPECIALLY UPSET BY THE U-S SANCTIONS IMPOSED
AFTER ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS TEST:
/// PARASURAM ACT ///
WHY IS IT THAT THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT WANT INDIA
TO BE AN INDEPENDENT NUCLEAR POWER? THE ANSWER IS VERY
SIMPLE. AS I CAN SEE FROM THE ROMAN TIMES, THE ROMANS
WERE VERY ANXIOUS THAT THEIR CENTURIONS' MARCH SHOULD
NOT BE STOPPED BY ANYBODY. ANYBODY WHO WAS CAPABLE OF
STOPPING IT SHOULD BE DESTROYED. THE UNITED STATES IS
THE ONLY SUPERPOWER. IT DOES NOT WANT EVEN REGIONAL
POWERS.
/// END ACT ///
MR. PARASURAM SAYS THE UNITED STATES BECAME A FRIEND ONCE AGAIN
WHEN IT CONDEMNED THE MILITANTS CROSSING THE LINE OF CONTROL
SEPARATING INDIA AND PAKISTAN IN KASHMIR. THANKS TO U-S HELP, HE
BELIEVES THAT LINE HAS BECOME A DE-FACTO BORDER.
TAIWAN IS NOT AN OFFICIAL ALLY OF THE UNITED STATES, SAYS
LOUISE RAN, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT OF THE COMMERCIAL TIMES OF
TAIPEI. BUT THERE IS NO DOUBTING THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP:
/// RAN ACT ///
PEOPLE IN TAIWAN HAVE TREMENDOUS GOOD WILL ABOUT
AMERICA, AND SOMETIMES I FIND THEM OVER-CONFIDENT IN
THINKING [THAT] WHENEVER TAIWAN IS IN TROUBLE, THE
UNITED STATES WILL COME TO HELP. I DO NOT THINK TAIWAN
SHOULD TOTALLY RELY ON ANY BIG POWER BECAUSE HISTORY HAS
SHOWN THAT SO MANY TIMES TAIWAN'S INTERESTS WERE HURT
BADLY BY THE DEALINGS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
CHINA.
/// END ACT ///
LOUISE RAN NOTES A RECENT SURVEY SHOWS 68 PERCENT OF AMERICANS
OPPOSE SENDING U-S TROOPS TO TAIWAN IF IT IS ATTACKED BY CHINA.
SHE SAYS THAT SHOULD ALERT THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN.
NO COUNTRY RELIES ON THE UNITED STATES MORE THAN SOUTH KOREA,
SAYS B.J. YANG OF THE KOREA ECONOMIC DAILY. U-S TROOPS ARE
STATIONED THERE AGAINST A POSSIBLE INVASION BY NORTH KOREA. HE
SAYS THAT FIRM ALLIANCE MUST LAST AS LONG AS THE DANGER DOES.
(SIGNED)
NEB/EW/WTW
16-Jul-99 4:38 PM EDT (2038 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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