China will be the most powerful nation in the Asia Pacific over the next decade notwithstanding America’s “Asia Pacific rebalancing strategy,” according to a survey of regional experts.

The study, conducted jointly by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, surveyed 150 experts from 11 Asia-Pacific countries.

Despite former US defense secretary Leon Panetta declaring in 2012 that the US will deploy 60% of its warships to the Asia Pacific region as part of a rebalancing strategy, 53% of participants in the survey said China will be the region’s most influential nation over the next 10 years, compared to just 28% for the US.

Fifty-six percent of experts also believed China will be the Asia Pacific’s most important trade partner, with 79% saying that China will have a positive impact on the regional and global economies in the next 10 years. On the other hand, 61% said China would have a negative impact on security in the region.

Territorial conflicts was voted as the most important factor affecting cooperation in the region, followed by historical issues and the uncertainty that comes with China’s rise. More than 80% of Chinese and Japanese experts believe military force could be used to settle a dispute in the region if diplomatic avenues are unsuccessful.

Only Chinese and South Korean experts are of the opinion that historical issues are more important than territorial conflicts, while 88% of Chinese, 62% of Taiwanese and 60% of South Korean experts believe that Japan is a negative influence on regional security.

On the question of what is the most urgent crisis in the region, the experts rated the finance and economics as No. 1, followed by territorial and historical conflicts. Climate change came in at No. 3.

Source: www.wantchinatimes.com