America Should Not ArtificiallyBuild the "Dual Asia"

Establishing a new order aiming at ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability in Asia requires the equal participation of both China and America. On the American side there is no lack of awareness but not enough courage. American scholars’ proposal of a “dual Asia” arouses wide attention.

This concept refers to the “Asian Economy” led by China and “Asian security” controlled by America. There is no agreement on whether this duality is realized. Although it is only seen as a tendency, the conclusions are widely divergent. One viewpoint suggests that the two Asias are not reconcilable and this will lead to continuous conflicts, whereas another opinion is in favor of an even balance of power between the two great powers, which will ease the tension.

The discussion on the “Dual Asia” is apparently a question of whether the two powers can get along in Asia. Under the background of the rise of China and America’s strategy of destabilization, the answer to this question has a direct impact on the prospects of Asian development and the setup of a regional security mechanism.

“Economy Asia” reveals a truth: The economic structure of Asia has changed fundamentally. The rapid growth of the Chinese economy and the acceleration of regional integration make the Asian countries more closely related to China in terms of trade, investment and markets, and has made them more interdependent. Meanwhile, the proportion of trade with America dwindles gradually. America remains the world’s biggest economy, and its influence on East Asian countries cannot be underestimated. However, many scholars point out that this China-centered Asian economic integration is driven by the market with a conspicuous tendency that cannot be subverted on purpose.

“Security Asia” indicates that America is trying hard through various arrangements to maintain its dominant and leading military role. In comparison to the increasingly bright prospect of “Economy Asia”, the order of ‘Security Asia” is evolving and far from being solved. So far, it seems the security structure America built is adherent to the same method used after WWII, which is strengthening bilateral and multilateral alliances. The problem lies here: This old method does not take into account the changes in Asia and will go nowhere because its disjunction with Asia’s economic integration.

Regarding the future of Asia, discussion and exploration should be best approached from the following angles. America will keep playing an important role in Asia’s economic affairs, and China will also be an instrumental actor. It is often said in America that they welcome a peaceful, prosperous and successful China. Such expression always implies that China should contribute to the maintenance of America’s leading role. Indeed, this is hardly realistic. Although America is still the most powerful state in the world, the tilt in the balance of resources and national power has never been felt as strongly as it is in Asia right now. Even the newest report from the CIA recognizes the shock brought by the rise of Asia.

Now that the old system is outdated, there should be a new one. Establishing a new order which ensures the long-term stability and prosperity in Asia obviously demands the equal participation of China and America. The real problem is that having realized that, the U.S. seems to lack sufficient courage to genuinely acknowledge the status of China as a great power and co-found a new great relationship based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation. This is also the reason for the excessive negative information from the rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific Region.

It is truly hard for a country like America to lower its profile and mentally adjust to the change. Nonetheless, the sooner the U.S. becomes more realistic, the better it is, as the “Dual Asia” is merely an impractical illusion.