Continental Shift? Why it’s not quite Asia’s century yet

Source: The post is based on the article “Continental Shift? Why it’s not quite Asia’s century yet” published in The Times of India on 9^th September 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – International Relations – Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

Relevance: About the term Asian century

News: During the recent visit to Indonesia for the Asean-India and East Asia summits, PM Modi described the 21st century as the ‘Asian century.’

What is the significance of the term Asian century?

The term gained popularity in the 1990s when East Asia was seen as a model for rapid economic growth.

Today, Asia leads the world in economic growth and has the largest middle class. Three of the world’s top five economies are also located in Asia.

Moreover, the term goes beyond economic competitiveness, as it also includes cultural richness because of the presence of three of the world’s oldest river valley civilizations.

However, some don’t agree with this idea and argue that Asia is not a natural bloc but rather a creation of European geographers.

They argue that there is lack of overlap between the economy of central Asian republics and East Asian economy. They also argue that Asia lacks the hegemonic power that the United States had in the 20th century.

Therefore, it is not wise to portray 21st century as the ‘Asian century’.

Must Read: India’s dilemmas in an Asian century and What is Asian centrality? 

What is the way ahead?

The Indian Prime Minister has called for the need to build a rules-based order in Asia, which is seen as a challenge to China’s growing influence.

China also faces significant resistance to its leadership in Asia, turning the continent into a place of competing ideas.

Therefore, even though Asia stands out as the world’s most economically active region with strong trade connections, the idea of the ‘Asian century’ still remains to be fully achieved.