People's Daily overseas edition reporters has had an interview with Prof. Liu Jiangyong from the Institute of International Studies of elite Tsinghua University in Beijing, Li Dunqiu, director general of the Korea Peninsular Studies Office of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Cheng Yujie, a researcher of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and Li Wen, director-general of the Asia-Pacific Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. And detailed excerpts of the interview are as follows:

Question: Japanese new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), ROK minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki Moon was appointed as the next secretary general of the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a nuclear test in October this year, and the occurrence of a series of events has turned Northeast Asia as one of the "hot spot" regions of global concern. What do you think are the main factors to affect the regional situation in the future?

Li Dunqiu: With a numerous "hot spot" regional issues, the situation in Northeast Asia is affected mainly by factors in the ensuing aspects: the first of all is the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsular that has been upgraded to the security issue of regional stability; secondly, the issue of right deviation for Japanese politics and the tendency to turn Japan into a major military power, and the obvious right deviation for Japanese politics that caused worries for its neighbors; the issue of territorial disputes in the region and, if these disputes, such as the disputes concerning the Tiaoyu islands between China and Japan, disputes on Dokdo Island (Japan calls it Takeshima Island) between ROK and Japan, and the dispute on the northern four islands between Japan and Russia are not handled improperly, they can be turned into crucial factors endangering the regional stability; fourthly, the issue of bilateral alliances, including the US-Japanese alliance and the US-ROK alliance, both the outcome of the cold war era and, if the role of these bilateral alliances outgrow the bilateral scope, they will produce a passive effect on the regional security.

Cheng Yujie: The DPRK nuclear test and the ensuing nuclear race and nuclear proliferation seem to be the main cause affecting the regional situation at present and in a period to come. Viewing from the angle of nations in the region, many countries fear all the more that Japan may embark on the road of a major military power under the pretext of its concerns about the DPRK nuclear test. The benign relations between big powers in the region increase, its surrounding area and the region as a whole will stabilize and develops too. Conversely, vice versa. For a relatively long period to come, China and the United States constitute one of the biggest factors affecting the regional situation.

Li Wen: The sustained, steady growth of Chinese economy is one of the crucial factors affecting the development of the regional situation in the future. China, whose population makes up more than 80 percent of the regional population, occupies an important status in the international relations in the region. The improvement of Sino-US ties, Sino-Japanese ties and Sino-Russian ties facilitates the settlement of territorial disputes in the region and the north-south issue of the Korean Peninsular and the peaceful settlement of the issue for China's reunification across the Taiwan Strait, and a strong and powerful China is conducive for peace and prosperity of the Northeast Asia region.

Question: Delegations of China, the U.S. and the DPRK to the Six-Party talks have held rounds of bilateral and tripartite consultations on matters to restart the talks after their arrival in Beijing. What kind of impact do you think the Six-Party talks will have on the situation in Northeast Asia?

Cheng Yujie: The Six-Party Talks is aimed for the settlement of the DPRK nuclear issue, which is not merely a pure military issue or a pure diplomatic issue but it evolves a host of aspects. The vital role of the Six-Party talks is precisely to channel the settlement of DPRK nuclear issue into the orbit of peace. In this framework, DPRK nuclear issue will be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means, so that the intensification of contradictions will be avoided, and the situation will not be out of control.

Liu Jiangyong: Practice in the past few years have proven that progress would be made in the talks, as long as the parties concerned act in strict compliance with the rules and regulations reached through equal, multilateral consultations and, otherwise, the situation would be stagnate or bog down. If the parties to the Six-Party talks confirm their respective stance to implement the Joint statement of Sept. 19 last year, it will be conducive to the stability of the regional security and the accomplishment of the goal for non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsular.

Li Wen: The Six Party Talks is expected to play an active role in alleviating the current DPRK nuclear crisis and stabilizing the security situation in Northeast Asia, whereas the non-nuclearization of the Korea Peninsular conforms to the common interests of the nations concerned and also represents the common position of these nations.

Question: The northeast Asia is the region with the fast economic growth worldwide. For instance, Japan's economic growth has sustained for 58 months in a row since February 2002, which has become the longest period of economic development in decades after the World War II. What do you think of the economic future of the region, and what impact it will have on the Asia-Pacific region?

Li Jiangyong: The political environment for the growth of economic relations between China and Japan and between ROK and Japan will improve along with the "thawing" of the ties between Japan and China and between Japan and ROK, and this in turn will promote the economic ties between China, Japan and ROK. China has become the biggest trade partner of Japan and ROK, and the mutual dependence of the economies of the three nations will go on increasing and the complement development of these economies will further spur the growth of the global economy.

Cheng Yujie: To date, a mechanism for economic cooperation has been established in Europe and Latin America, but a regional economic cooperative mechanism has not been set up in the Northeast Asia region, which has been cited the region with the fast economic growth globally. However, countries in the East Asia region have made active explorative efforts to expand regional cooperation for years, and the institutionalization of such a cooperative mechanism has become an inevitable trend for the growth of the regional economy.

Li Dunqiu: The gross national product (GDP) of Japan ranks the second, that of China ranks the fourth and that of ROK the tenth globally, and so they are all economic giants and are all going on expanding economically at a faster pace. The region, nevertheless, still have a couple of problems, including growing competitions in bilateral trade with eminent trade frictions, so it is a major topic for leaders of the countries in the region to better carry out regional security cooperation and regional economic cooperation.

Question: China has always been active and responsible in cooperation and development in the Northeast Asia region, and how China will give greater scope to its role in the years to come?

Li Wen: At present, the growth of Chinese economy prompts the world economy to develop in the more balanced and rational direction. More and more countries have come to recognize the development of China is not a threat but an opportunity for them, and the countries in the region can accelerate their own development by the means of increasing their investment and trade ties with China. On its part, China should also learn from its neighboring nations to be still more responsible and as to work together to build a harmonious community in the region.

Li Dunqiu: As China is able to give scope to its vital role in the future regional cooperation, it should take the initiative in establishing a regional security mechanism and stepping up dialogue in this regard, while boosting the regional economic cooperation.

Liu Jiangyong: In the future regional cooperation, China will, taking all its neighbors as its friends or partners, will not seek hegemony but seek mutual benefits, go on expanding its "soft" power and work harder to seek sustainable regional security with peaceful multilateralism.

By People's Daily Online