Asia prefers handling terrorists the European way

When EU and Asian leaders meet in Helsinki, they will be talking about issues of shared concern, such as the global economy and international trade. Those shared concerns also include the threat of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and regional conflicts.

Terrorism in Asia is not so very different from in Europe. The bombings in Bali in 2002, which killed more than 200 people, many of them visitors from Australia, was seen as of a piece with terrorism in London and Madrid.

Indonesia is fighting Islamic extremists, and in particular the group Jemaah Islamiyah, which was responsible for the Bali bombings. The Philippines is also battling against its own Islamic terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf, while the Thai authorities are trying to combat terrorist attacks in the south of their country.

Asia also has to contend with difficult regional threats to security arising out of a possibly nuclear-capable North Korea and a number of regional conflicts and tensions.

These issues have in recent years figured on the agenda of ASEM summits but what is still not clear is the extent to which both sides are prepared to go beyond well-meaning rhetoric.

Part of the reason why Asian leaders are keen to discuss security issues with the EU is that they favour the Europeans’ pragmatic approach. While the US has a low tolerance for security threats, the European approach is seen as more measured, according to Adam Ward, an Asia expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "Asia is looking to diversify and not place all its eggs in the American basket," he says.

He added that although the US was lending support to Asian countries to help fight domestic terrorist groups, in the form of training and equipment, the EU was also having an impact by focusing on development and governance issues.

In turn the EU has been developing its thinking on security co-operation with Asia. According to Ward, the EU was forced to improve its planning of policy on Asia, and China in particular, after the debacle of an attempt to end an embargo on arms sales to China. In the middle of talks to lift the embargo, a move opposed by the US and other Asian nations, China implemented an anti-secession law which would allows Beijing to use force against Taiwan should it try to claim independence. The EU backed away from its promise to lift the embargo and has subsequently set about seriously re-thinking its approach to China. "The EU has become increasingly interested in establishing policy issues…its own thinking has started to develop," says Ward.

But for all the gradual warming towards each other on security issues, Ward believes that there will not be many concrete proposals emerging from the summit which will aim to tackle terrorism, WMD or regional conflicts. "They will have a kind of a comfortable conversation but is anything likely to come out of it? I doubt it."

Axel Berkofsky, associate analyst with the European Policy Centre, says the EU and Asia should stick to what they do best - trade, business and cultural links. "I’m saying don’t tackle the high-political issues but concentrate on what you can do something about. Don’t do WMD, terrorism or North Korea," he says.

EU involvement in a mission to monitor the peace agreement between rebels in Aceh and the Indonesian government has won the respect of Asian nations but the bloc is unlikely to get involved in stickier regional issues such as a possible China-Taiwan conflict or the North Korean stand-off. "It is easy to agree on Aceh, it’s easy and non-controversial," says Berkofsky. He believes that becoming involved in more complex issues would be difficult in the absence of a co-ordinated EU foreign policy. To complicate matters further, several EU states, such as France the UK and the Netherlands, had strong bilateral ties with some Asia nations.

"The [European] Commission could be saying one thing on Monday," warns Berkofsky. "And on Tuesday, Chirac is travelling to China saying something completely different."

When EU and Asian leaders meet in Helsinki, they will be talking about issues of shared concern, such as the global economy and international trade. Those shared concerns also include the threat of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and regional conflicts.