Mediating from middle ground: Asean, China and India: an interview with Surin Pitsuwan.

• Author: Vericat, Jose
• Position: Interview

The rise of China and India has reshaped Asia's regional dynamics, as well as its position in the world. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the region's most prominent multilateral organization, is made up of much smaller states that are vulnerable to the ups and downs of their more influential neighbors, China and India. Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary general of ASEAN, explains the economic, security and diplomatic dynamics of the organization's interactions with China and India to the Journal's Jose Vericat.

Journal of International Affairs: How does ASEAN view China and India?

Surin Pitsuwan: The two major giant emerging economies of Asia are extremely critical to the continuing growth, integration and evolution of Asia as a whole; when they agree to work together, to pursue common interests and to avoid any major differences it affects the confidence, the security, stability, ongoing development, confidence-building, economic integration and cooperation in the region. We use the word 'community-building' of East Asia, with a small 'c.' Both countries are extremely important to the vibrancy of the East Asian economy and for that matter serve as very strong pillars of growth and recovery for the global community itself. ASEAN is very much in the middle, mediating on the supply lines to both India's and China's factories and we certainly would like to see ourselves benefiting from the dynamism of their economies. As China and India grow, ASEAN grows with them.

Journal: How do you see ASEAN providing for the factories of each county?

Pitsuwan: We have the production network in place here in Southeast Asia, in ASEAN. We produce parts for electronic equipment for computers, for automobiles and we supply these things to both of them. We have benefited from the earlier wave of investment from Japan, so we are at a stage where we can benefit from the dynamism of India and China, at this very moment. We would not be able to be on the supply lines into their factories had we not had the forty, forty-five years of very consistent and very, very firm progress toward our very own economic cooperation and integration here in the region.

Journal: You talk about the potential threats of the rise of China and India. Can you give me a specific example?

Pitsuwan: Both of them have experienced conflicts in the past, and any flare up of such tension certainly will affect the confidence in the region as a whole. China is growing very fast but it faces its own domestic challenges. Any disruption to that growth is going to affect its own prospect of development and will certainly impact the ASEAN economies, which have been exporting to China as well as to India. Disturbances of any nature, within their own countries or with their neighbors, will certainly have negative impacts on Southeast Asia and on ASEAN as a whole. This is a historical pattern. Every time there is instability and uncertainty in a major country like China or India, Southeast Asia will also be affected because we are sitting astride the...