Twain shall meet

Where does India8217;s self-interest lie? As a part of rising Asia, or as an increasingly dominant power within Asia? The difference is more than academic, and it bears scrutiny this week, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking the West to make accommodations for a rising Asia. Addressing the London School of Economics Asia Forum in New Delhi on Thursday, he said global institutions like the UN Security Council and the WTO should be reflective of the 8220;peaceful rise of new nations8221;. Taken together, China, India and the East Asian tigers are rapidly increasing their share of the world8217;s GDP. And the issue of key import this rise raises is this: whether the West can accommodate without confrontation the aspirations fuelling this rise in a changing global order.

Dr Singh8217;s question is urgent. It takes debate beyond glib shorthand like Chindia, and articulates the anxieties underpinning the shifting economic and strategic centre of gravity in today8217;s world. At first glance, the prime minister8217;s call appears to bear Asia versus the West assumptions. But dwell on the question a little longer, and it can be argued that the question must necessarily include an acknowledgement of intra-Asian rivalries. On the UNSC, for instance, India does base its candidature on the growing power of Asia. Yet, in asserting its bid for a permanent seat in the Security Council, it also finds that much resistance comes from within Asia itself.

This is where the West must weigh in. In the collective rise of Asia, there also exist deep divisions between the rising Asian powers 8212; China versus Japan, China versus Taiwan, and even China versus India. These rivalries would be most constructively played out if the countries were able to work out coexistence in durable organisations in a manner that reflected their growing clout. A harmonious, peaceful Asia is in the world8217;s interest. It would thus be prudent for the G-8 powers to yield more space at the global high table.