HONG KONG -- China's efforts to defuse the North Korean nuclear crisis have been trumpeted in headlines around the world, but it has been just as active in other parts of the region, a reflection of its increasing regional influence.
Just last month, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao hosted a Beijing meeting of the heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO. This six-nation grouping, which also includes Russia, Kazakstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, agreed to establish a regional antiterrorism center in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent and signed a pact to strengthen economic cooperation with the goal of creating a free trade zone.
Meanwhile, China is also strengthening its relationship with its neighbors in Southeast Asia. It has decided to sign the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Treaty of Amity and Cooperation during the ASEAN summit in Bali this week. China will be the first major country outside of the regional grouping to sign the treaty, which sets down fundamental principles for relations between countries, including mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and renunciation of the use of force against each other.