HONOLULU -- "Are the United States and East Asia ready for the creation of a 'Pax Asia Pacifica' as a logical successor to the 'Pax Americana,' which has provided peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region for decades?" This question was foremost on former Philippine President Fidel Ramos' mind when he lectured on U.S.-China and East Asia Relations recently in Washington.

Ramos gave the inaugural "Ambassador L.W. 'Bill' and Jean Lane Lecture in Diplomacy" at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, hosted by Pacific Forum CSIS. His remarks focused on the geopolitical realities of a rising China, a more self-confident and involved Japan, an emerging India and a "preoccupied" U.S. The time has come, he said, not to replace or discount the American role in East Asia but rather to share the burden in hopes of creating a more cohesive Asia-Pacific community.

While some in the U.S. have cautioned against a "Pan Asianism" vs. "Pan Pacificism" debate, Ramos believes that building a greater sense of East Asian identity would help and not hinder the broader Asia-Pacific grouping, which includes the U.S. He argued that the emerging East Asia community should not only be based upon "one vision, one identity, one community," as called for by the ASEAN Experts and Eminent Persons Group -- he serves as the Philippine representative to this informal advisory body -- but also upon "one union," to be defined over time.