Comunidad del pacífico en perspectiva - Volumen 2

LA CoMUNIDAD DEL PAciFICO EN PERSPECI'IVA I F. OrTega Vicuña In the Straits of Taiwan there is no sign as yet of the negotia– tions which will be necessary if there is to be a Chinese compro– mise of what is essentially a very Chínese problem, and one exacerbated by the emergence of China as world force, requiring Western technologíes to speed its industrialisation. Japan and the Soviet Uníon are still at loggerheads over the Habomais, Etorofu, Shikotan, and Kunashiri -"northern territo– ries for Tokyo, part of the Soviet Unión for Moscow". Korea is the most volatile flashpoint, but until the two halves emulate the pragmatism of the two Germanys or are pressured by China, the Soviet Union, Japan and the United States -neither course likeIy at present- the condítions of "No war, no peace" seems likeIy to continue. In the South China Sea, conflicting claims to the ParaceI and SpratIey Islands, quiescent at present, couId accelerate if offshore oil deposits are discovered in the vicinity. This paper does not attempt to specuIate on the likeIy course of future events in the Pacific Basin. Given the tension between the USRR and China and the existence of the turbuIent South East Asian area, the possibility of conflict will aIways be presento It is to be hoped that the countries of the area will seek to satisfy their aspirations in the economic rather than the military field. 3. Economic Considerations Although this paper has included the countries of Latin America in the Pacific Basin, many economic commentators do noto Rather the terms Pacific Basin is more often interchanged with the "Asían Pacific" or "Pacific economic" communí ty, meaning the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, an the other countries of the Western rimo Thís bears witness to the success of the Western rim in making such an impact in international trade. Despite the lack of any substantial history of regional cons– dousness, economic factors have created a network of trading re– lationships between the countries of the Western rim and North 80