In Bangkok, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun basked in the glitter of the international spotlight. For the first time the North Korean foreign minister held bilateral talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts. Australia and Canada established diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. North Korean membership in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Fund is on the cards. And, Pyongyang is currently negotiating a normalisation of its relations with Tokyo.
China is key to continued inter-Korean dialogue.
Seoul and Beijing now have a hot line linking their foreign ministers to help deal with bilateral issues. Asia is beginning to present a unified face and voice in international affairs. But, of course, all these recent developments are just a beginning. There are still powerful and strongly-entrenched forces that prefer to see continued American domination of the Asian political and military arenas. Asia cannot achieve a more meaningful political cohesion and clout without first resolving its often conflicting perceptions of Pax Americana.