Friday, July 28 2006 10:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Honolulu: The triangular relationship among the US, China and Japan will determine the way Asia is defined in the coming years, a US-based senior writer has said.

Janadas Devan, a columnist for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, told a seminar at the East-West Centre here that the existence of Asia.

"I mean its literal, not ideological existence will depend as much on the ability of (ASEAN, APEC)to restrain bellicose national policies," he said.

But he does not foresee a one-size fitting all identity.

"I don't think this ability is contingent upon the creation or nurturing of transnational Asian identities, but it does, I think, entail the positing of a pluralized 'We' straddling the region," he said.

Obtaining consensus on just what that 'We' might entail may prove to be a lot trickier than it sounds.

Young Whan Kihl, an East-West Center visiting POSCO fellow and professor of political science at Iowa State University, agrees with Devan on at least one point.

He argues that true regionalism requires a sense of Asian identity that does not yet exist. That identity will need to coexist with national identities, as is now the case in Europe.

In Asia, however, Kihl notes, there are three major hurdles to overcome, on the road to that coexistence.

"Geography, history and culture are all elements that could stand in the way of regionalism, of a cohesive Asian identity," he said.

Kihl acknowledges that there is some evidence of a pan-Asia pop culture or identity emerging, witnessed by the popularity of Korean television dramas and the recent popularity of Japanese manga throughout the region.