ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies some priority areas for the further development of such mechanisms and transparency measures in East Asia. With structural conventional arms control ruled out for the time being, confidence-building measures and transparency and consultation arrangements provide the main means of addressing concerns relating to the accumulation or transfer of conventional arms in the region. In the Asia-Pacific, as in most other regions, it is a priority to develop multilateral confidence and security building measures alongside appropriate bilateral arrangements. Most East Asian countries participate in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, in line with the recommendations of Association of South East Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF). Within the ARF, there has been much discussion of the benefits of countries regularly publishing a Defence ‘White Paper'; that is, a document detailing national security policies, defence doctrine, military holdings, spending and procurement. The relationship between China and Taiwan remains a major source of concern for regional security.
