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Tu Guangshao, deputy mayor of Shanghai, answers questions at the press briefing of the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai, east China, May 19, 2014. The summit will be held in Shanghai from May 20 to 21. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), being held on May 20-21 in Shanghai, is a historical review of Asia's security affairs from an evolutionary perspective. It is also important in the context of Asian security, and there are good reasons to believe it will contribute much to the cause of Asian and world peace.

Historical changes influence CICA

The meeting needs to be understood against a backdrop of historical changes in regional security.

Previously, there was a tendency to deal with security and the economy separately; now, they are becoming closely interwoven. More than 40 years ago, Asia took the lead in ending East-West confrontation. It started with a thaw in the relations between China and the United States. Since then, a group of newly emerging countries has taken the path of reform, opening-up and development, leading to close links between security and economic affairs.

Another aspect is the increasing openness of Asian security. Geographical, economic, political and historical features have determined that Asia is inevitably associated with the wider world. The United States has long been a big power in the region. Russia is a newcomer, while Australia has been gradually playing a larger regional role.

Meanwhile, entities like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional organization with an important security function, are also an obvious embodiment of the openness in Asian security. Thus, East Asia is bound to provide an important platform in opening up the security structure further.

The third consideration is the complicated interaction of Asian security affairs. Compared with other regions, both internal and external factors have greater influence. On the one hand, there are a large number of emerging countries in Asia whose primary concern is to safeguard their national sovereignty and democratic dignity. On the other hand, the rapid increase in Asian power will inevitably provoke a reaction elsewhere.

Moreover, there is the network formed by various security organizations of differing nature. They include SCO, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), military alliances involving the United States and regional partners and new economic partnerships such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).

Asia's historical background inevitably determines that no single major power can bear the heavy responsibility for security alone. A responsible organization such as CICA will surely produce a better balance in the relationship between the various networks and maintain regional balance and stability.

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