World cannot afford for Northeast Asia to be a nuclear powder keg

With the end of the Cold War and the start of sustained peace, stability and globalisation, Northeast Asia became one of the most prosperous places on earth. But today, its security situation is once again in a dangerous position.

Specifically, the return of Cold War thinking in Washington and some Northeast Asian countries as well as increasing polarisation and bloc competition has heightened the risk of conflict.

Responding to risks by forming blocs will not make the region more secure, instead, it would destabilise and amplify the risk of war, not just in the Korean peninsula, but also in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

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What if Trump wins?

The Biden administration’s decoupling policy also poses threats to the region’s security. The complementarity and interdependence of trade ties between China, Japan and South Korea have been weaponised in the context of securitisation and politicisation.

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BIDEN OR TRUMP: WHOEVER WINS, WE LOSE

Northeast Asia is the next powder keg region. But there are three silver linings.

Northeast Asia has produced economic miracles since the Korean war ceasefire in 1953. A new road map to maintain peace and regional economic cooperation will bring hope in a turbulent world.

Li Cheng is professor of political science and founding director of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW) at the University of Hong Kong

Zhang Chi is a researcher at the CCCW