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Toward peace and prosperity in Asia-Pacific: A youth vision
There are three recommendations for the future of Asia-Pacific to lay the groundwork for us to work toward peace and security.
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Old map of Southeast Asia (Shutterstock/File)
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sia-Pacific has more than half the world’s population and, by far, is the most dynamic region. The IMF projects the region to continue to be the world leader in economic growth, reaching 5.5 percent in 2017 and 5.4 percent in 2018.
Asia-Pacific sea lanes play vital roles in global trade. Nearly half of the world’s seaborne trade transits these lanes annually and 8 out of 10 of the busiest ports in the world are situated in the region.
Strong domestic demand and relatively resilient financial markets, especially in the more advanced economies in Asia, have enabled us to navigate the global turbulences in recent times.
Despite the overall positive tones, the mid to long-term outlook remains shrouded in uncertainty and risks. Some of these challenges include structural economic reforms to support growth, trade and investment; demographic factors such as effective management of urbanization as well as aging populations; and geopolitical factors.
For the past several decades, the Asia-Pacific region has enjoyed a period of relative peace, or the absence of major war between states. However, there remain inherent tensions.
Asia-Pacific today is home to four nuclear-weapon states (NWS), namely China, India, Pakistan and North Korea. We have seen growing tension in the Korean Peninsula, where Pyongyang has conducted nearly a dozen missile tests this year alone.
The United States is responding with the deployment of its carrier strike groups, joint military exercises and installation of an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea. The situation poses real military escalation risks.
