Conclusion

Abstract

The one thing that conies across quite starkly from the foregoing chapters is that, notwithstanding the astounding economic progress East Asia has made, in general, confidence is something that is in short supply. It is due to a combination of several factors such as changing great power relations, intensified contest over the sovereignty of disputed islands, and the lack of a security architecture that could keep regional peace and stability Nor are there effective multilateral mechanisms at the regional and/or sub-regional level, which can promote transparency in defense policies and help in building trust. In much of the discourse on East Asia, invariably the focus tends to be on the role of great powers, more specifically China and its phenomenal rise and the likely implications thereof especially because great power relations have often been fraught with tensions although they seem to be by and large stable at present. Thus, great power relations, while not necessarily on the verge of a collision course, their on and off rivalry and cooperation are creating tensions.