Asia-Pacific integration: the economic and security dimensions.

• Author: Kennedy, Peter
• Position: CONFERENCE REPORT - Conference news

On 13 November Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies and the NZIIA combined to host the Asia-Pacific Integration Symposium. This all day symposium was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Defence and the Asia New Zealand Foundation and looked at the dramatic reshaping of the international economic order against the process of strategic rebalancing occurring in the Asia region. It asked the question: are these two processes compatible, complementary, or on a collision course?

In his introductory comments Sir Douglas Kidd, president, NZIIA, suggested that the government could perform better in informing New Zealanders about developments like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. FFe turned then to John Hayes, chair of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Select Committee, to give the opening address. Hayes commented that New Zealanders like to think of themselves as integrated players in the region. We were, however, slower than Australia at reaching this point. Whilst the centre of global economic gravity has shifted to China, the security situation in the region has become more complex also. New Zealand has done a good job of establishing economic linkages and we fully support ASEAN's target of building an ASEAN Political-Security Community by 2015. But we have not done sufficient parallel thinking around the Pacific.

The first session, on 'New Zealand's Regional Engagement: where is it at?'--under the chair of Chris Seed--began with Professor Robert Patman suggesting there were two camps of thought about the emergence of China as the number two power in the world. The first is that US/China economic integration makes the prospect of war 'most unlikely'. And the second is that declining power of the United States will disturb the trend toward integration and make war almost certain. He disagreed with the second. New Zealand's challenge was to remain 'resolute and nimble' as it came under pressure to side with one or other partner.

Terence O'Brien followed by asserting that under a more hybrid international order a Western-democratic-English-speaking society was not necessary. We needed to resist viewing Asian relationships through a US lens and forge a separate relationship. Stuart McMillan agreed that New Zealand will have to adapt, but the speed and nature of that adaption were not yet clear. We need to cease looking at the US--China relationship through a...