With the East Asian Summit completed and the APEC meeting round the corner, it is an appropriate time to look at the role of the US role in the East Asian integration process. The US interest in joining the still-in-the-making East Asian Community is clear. At the very least, the US wants to maintain a strong presence in any regional organization being brought together by the East Asian countries.
Compared to other interested parties such as Russia and Pakistan, that the US becomes a member of the East Asian Community may be more appealing to some. As the world’s only superpower, the US is an important player in every major economic, political and security area in East Asia.
But how a high level of trust can be created to enable all East Asian nations to embrace the US is still a big question.
Many are uncertain about the motivations of the US. Does the US simply want to ensure that its core interests are protected and not neglected in such a process, or does it want to be in to help make a more successful East Asia?
In other words, is the US joining in order to check against an emerging East Asia Community, or is the US joining with an enthusiasm to make Asia better? Many are suspicious that it is the former reason instead of the latter.
