试论南亚国家和日本的关系

Trial Comment on the Relations between Japan and the South Asian Countries

南亚地区包括巴基斯坦、不丹、马尔代夫、孟加拉国、尼泊尔、斯里兰卡和印度。这一地区人口众多,经济上是世界上不发达地区之一。为了改变贫困落后的面貌,促进经济发展,提高人民生活水平,南亚国家除了发展与美国、西欧和苏联的关系之外。

Southern Asia is one of the underdeveloped regions in the world, with a large amountof population and a backward economy. In order to alter such aspects of poverty andbackwardness, promote economic development and raise the living standard, the SouthAsian countries hold a strong desire to develope the relations with Japan, 'the supereconomic power', to expand foreign trade and strive for more preferential economicand technical assistances. In the mean time, Japan is making full use of its greateconomic advantages in strengthening its cooperative relations with the South Asiannations, for the sake of speeding its pace towards a 'political power' and of playinga greater role in Asia's political and economic affairs. In recent years, the relations between Japan and South Asia have been developingsteadily and the status of Southern Asia in Japan's foreign policy has risen. Japanobviously expanded its trade with South Asian countries and increased its economicaids and private investment in the region. However, there still exist some disadventa-geous factors dampening further economic and technical cooperations. In the coming years, Japan will expand its influence on Southern Asia, mainlybased on the following three pillars: political dialogues, economic cooperations andcultural exchanges. Because of the complexity of political issues and the difficultiesin economic development in the region, it will be hard for Japan to play a greater rolein the region and its influence will be limited. It will take quite a long period oftime for Japan to bring its impact on the region to some considerable degree.