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Uphill battle for PM on Asian visit: expert

Thursday, 10 July 2003

Prime Minister Mr John Howard faces an uphill battle to achieve meaningful results from his forthcoming trip to Asia, according to a leading Asian Studies expert at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide.

Professor Purnendra Jain, from the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide's Centre for Asian Studies, says Mr Howard will have to fight the perception among Asian countries that ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ is becoming increasingly aligned with the US, at the expense of its relationship with Asia.

"ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ has greatly isolated itself from Asia under the Howard administration," Professor Jain says. "Even Japan, ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s best friend in Asia, regards ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ as arrogant and as a nation that is pursuing American-style 'macho diplomacy'.

"ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ is now increasingly perceived in Asian capitals as a self-appointed deputy to the US. This perception began to gain strength during the East Timor crisis in the late 1990s and became even stronger since the September 11 terrorism attacks and ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s role in the Iraq war."

Mr Howard will visit the Philippines, Japan and South Korea during his week-long trip, meeting with each country's leaders. Professor Jain says trade, terrorism and security will be the topics at the top of the agenda.

"Asia is ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s most important region economically, but recently ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ has chosen not to build its trade and economic relationship with the region," he says. Instead, it is pursuing a preferential bilateral trade with the US, which, if concluded, will discriminate against many of its Asian trading partners. Obviously this policy direction is not popular in Asia.

"Trade is not the only reason Asia is so important to ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥, because ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ now must increasingly seek Asian cooperation in order to secure its border and its citizens against other kinds of attacks.

"By preferring to become a closer ally with the US with the so-called "War on Terror" and the Iraq war, this has meant ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ has relinquished close cooperation with Asian nations in the areas of security and terrorism prevention.

"I would hope at the very least that his visits to Japan, the Philippines and South Korea reinforce to him how vital a strong working relationship - on all levels - with Asia is to ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥."

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