Time:2014/1/15 

On January 3, 2014, IISS held an international seminar on “New Regional Order in Northeast Asia” together with students and teachers from the Seoul National University and Ewha Womans University, Korea. Present at the seminar were Prof. Zhu Feng, Associate Prof. Yu Tiejun, and Associate Prof. Gui Yongtao, all from IISS, Associate Prof. Wang Dong from School of International Studies, PKU, and some students. Associate Prof. Sun Xuefeng from Tsinghua University was invited to host the seminar and made a speech.

At the seminar, Prof. Chun Chae-sung introduced his research about theorizing international relations in East Asia. He underlined the uniqueness and necessity of building up systemic theories in East Asia studies, arguing that there is a need for regional specific theories in East Asia instead of recycling Western theories, though the latter can be used as a basis.. Prof. Wookhee Shin discussed sovereignty and regional stability in Northeast Asia, saying that regional stability is most influenced by unsolved sovereignty problems among China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and the economic interdependency among China, Japan and Korea. Prof. Min Byoung-won from SNU and Research Fellow Doh Jong-yoon from the Ewha Womans University also presented their opinions on the theoretical framework building of international relations in East Asia. 

In his themed speech, Associate Prof. Yu Tiejun pointed out that there has formed a “self-help” security order in East Asia with the relative decline of U.S hegemony and the influence of balance of power and international institutions. Under this condition, China is pursuing to build a new model of great power relations with the U.S., to keep the alliance with DPRK, to construct a strategic partnership with Russia and to develop good-neighborly friendships with surrounding countries. Whether China will go for a remodeling of the security order in Northeast Asia depends on its level of satisfaction towards status-quo and the confinements imposed by domestic and international situations. At a crossroad of transition, the region might suffer from a disorder caused by false understandings about China. In the future, security order in this region will remain a complexity. China should be more relaxed and make more security assurance towards surrounding countries instead of focusing on domestic issues only, thus better dealing with possible enmities coming with her rising. 

Prof. Zhu Feng highly praised the contribution of re-theorizing to the study of international relations. He pointed out that there is a possibility that Northeast Asia replaces the West as the crucial region of international system. Associate Prof. Wang Dong held that although no transition has happened yet with the regional security order of Northeast Asia, China is shifting its concern gradually from the U.S. to Northeast Asia. In the future, China may take four possible international strategies: the strategy of peace development, the strategy of new model of China- U.S. great power relations, the strategy of good neighborly friendship and the strategy of hegemony. Associate Prof. Gui Yongtao said that the common culture background and unique regional surroundings of Asia should be underlined, as well as the influence of historic legacy on foreign policies of each country.

Associate Prof. Sun Xuefeng summarized the seminar, pointing out that the “order” is highly essential for East Asia, where had been hierarchical for so long in history. 

Student attendees from Korea, Lee Bo-mi, Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Ji-joung also spoke on the power shift between China and Japan, the construction of Asia-Pacific regional institutions and the achievements of theoretical research of international relations in China,. They also partook in discussions with Chinese students.

Attendees agreed that more academic achievements theorizing the regional research of Northeast Asia should be expected, as well as further communications on this topic.