Conference
Center for China-US Cooperation, University of Denver
The 10th International Symposium
"Beyond History: Reconciliation and New Sources of Conflict Between China and its Asian neighbors"
超越历史：和解、合作与东亚社会一体化建构
May 4, 2012 (tentative)
Josef Korbel School of International Study, University of Denver
Co-sponsored by
College of Public Administration, Zhejiang University
&
Charher Institute
One most significant geo-political development in the 21st century is the rise of non-Western power centers, most notably East Asia. Rapid economic growth since the 1960s has dramatically boosted economic output, geo-political influence and military capacities of East Asian countries. China’s rise as a great power has further enhanced East Asia’s position in global geo-politics and geo-economics. A region where the geographic reaches of great powers, including the US, China, Russia, and Japan, come into contact and two of the three world largest economies (China and Japan) and five of G-20 countries (China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Russia) are located, East Asia has played an increasingly important role in shaping the international trend of the 21st century.
The rise of East Asia has raised some crucially important questions: will East Asia as a rising power center in which China has played an increasingly important role become more secure than it has experienced in recent history? How can East Asian leaders to achieve better cooperation and find peaceful and long term solutions to the security problems that plague the region, such as historical memories, nationalist sentiments, territorial disputes, and political tensions, to develop trusting relationships among themselves? In particular, how can East Asians construct a more secure, peaceful and coherent regional international society and move beyond the region’s troubled history?
The achievement of regional coherence requires a special effort to overcome the burden of history. It is also essential to address the deep-seated mistrust and security concerns of these nations and their peoples, which exist largely because of these historical grievances. In the long run, regional peace must rest on a willingness to address security needs and on the development of deeper levels of trust. In the circumstances of the recent past and possible future, characterised by accelerating globalisation and growing traditional and non-traditional security challenges – such as recurring tensions on the Korean peninsula and on the East China Sea, a global economic crisis, and energy security and environmental challenges – it is more important than ever that East Asians leave history behind and work together to build a more stable, secure, prosperous and peaceful region
This conference is still in the planning stages, more information will be posted as it is confirmed.
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