The term Asian values is a political ideology that arose in the
1990s, which defined elements of society, culture, and history common to
the nations of Southeast Asia and East Asia. It aimed to use commonalities – for example, the principles of collectivism or communitarianism – to unify people for their economic and social good and to create a pan-Asian identity. This contrasted with perceived European ideals of the universal rights of man. The concept was advocated by Mahathir Mohamad (Prime Minister of Malaysia, 1981–2003, 2018–2020), Lee Kuan Yew (Prime Minister of Singapore, 1959–1990), Park Chung Hee (President of South Korea, 1962–1979) and Shinzo Abe (Prime Minister of Japan, 2012–present) and as well as other Asian leaders.
The popularity of the concept slightly waned after the 1997 Asian financial crisis when at the time Asia lacked a coherent regional institutional mechanism to deal with such crises. A few months after the crisis, The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) was conceived in December 1997 with the convening of a summit among the leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea. The APT Summit was institutionalised in 1999 when its leaders issued a joint statement at the 3rd APT Summit. The joint statement determined the main objectives, principles and further directions of APT countries' and resolved to strengthen and deepen cooperation at various levels and in various areas, particularly in economic, social, political and other fields.
The popularity of the concept slightly waned after the 1997 Asian financial crisis when at the time Asia lacked a coherent regional institutional mechanism to deal with such crises. A few months after the crisis, The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) was conceived in December 1997 with the convening of a summit among the leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea. The APT Summit was institutionalised in 1999 when its leaders issued a joint statement at the 3rd APT Summit. The joint statement determined the main objectives, principles and further directions of APT countries' and resolved to strengthen and deepen cooperation at various levels and in various areas, particularly in economic, social, political and other fields.
Definition
Various definitions of Asian values have been put forth. Generally, the phrase alludes to influences by Confucianism – in particular, filial piety or loyalty towards the family, corporation, and nation; the forgoing of personal freedom
for the sake of society's stability and prosperity; the pursuit of
academic and technological excellence; and, a strong work ethic together
with thrift.
Proponents of "Asian values" claim these values are more appropriate for the region than Western democracy with its emphasis on individual freedoms.
"Asian values" were codified and promoted in the Bangkok Declaration of 1993,
which re-emphasized the principles of sovereignty, self-determination,
and non-interference in civil and political rights. They included:
- Preference for social harmony;
- Concern with socio-economic prosperity and the collective well-being of the community;
- Loyalty and respect towards figures of authority;
- Preference for collectivism and communitarianism.
History
Asian values gained popularity in the People's Republic of China, Malaysia (under Mahathir Mohamad), Singapore (under Lee Kuan Yew), Indonesia and in Japan (perhaps as early as the pre World War II era). In the West, the study of Asian values was seen as a way to understand Asia and foster a closer relationship with the region.
Proponents in Malaysia claim the concept helped reconcile Islam, Confucianism and Hinduism
and was unifying because it was different to the philosophy of the
West, though the liberal nature of Hinduism evidently contradicts it. Lee maintained that more than economics or politics, a nation's culture would determine its fate.
In Japan, a concept of "Ideals of the East" was embraced in some nationalist circles because it challenged the West and also because it offered the possibility of Japanese leadership in a new Asia.
Some attribute the economic success of East and Southeast Asian nations in the 1960s to the 1980s to "Asian values"; a third-way, Asian political model that was an alternative to totalitarianism and liberal democracy.
"Asian values" was also evident in the planning of the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.
The popularity of the concept persisted. Some speculate it might
have contributed to the religious, social, cultural and economic changes
occurring in Asia in that time; for example, the Asian financial crisis and the collapse of the Suharto regime in Indonesia may have been successfully counteracted by liberal democracy.
The absence of India, with its towering civilizational sweep over most
of Asia, also made sure it didn't gain currency, since the concept
lacked features of Indic culture solidly imprinted on most of Asia.
In 2006, Jusuf Kalla,
the vice-president of Indonesia, linked Asian values with the proposed
East Asian Free Trade Agreement and the East Asian Community arising
from the East Asia Summit. He partly defended Asian values by placing emphasis on co-operation over competition.
"Asian values" continues to be discussed in academe with reference to the question of the universality of human rights (as opposed to a position of cultural relativism).
The authors of a study published in 2015 claimed that rice versus
wheat agriculture explain differences in analytic thinking, "implicit
individualism" and innovation between various Chinese provinces. Compared to wheat farming, rice farming is a labor-intensive practice that requires cooperation among many people.
However, the results of the study are controversial due to very small
sample sizes for some units of analysis (some samples were as small as
fewer than ten individuals), questionable measurement instruments and
model misspecification. Using an improved measure of
individualism-collectivism, the authors of a replication study found
that the conclusion of the 2015 article claiming to show evidence for
the relationship between wheat versus rice farming was the result of
faulty methodology.
Criticism
A number of criticisms of Asian values have been made. Kim Dae-jung (President of South Korea, 1998-2003), Amartya Kumar Sen (an Indian economist, philosopher, and Nobel laureate) and Yu Ying-shih (a Chinese-born American historian and sinologist) have argued that "Asian values" is doublespeak for suppressing "Western values" such as "freedom of speech" and "human rights".
Randall Peerenboom noted that many scholars "are in general agreement
that some Asian governments use the rhetoric of Asian values for
self-serving ends."
However, a common countercriticism of the concept of Asian values
is the perceived success of many Asian quasi-democratic societies such
as the tiger economies of Taiwan, which was ruled under martial law from 1949 to 1987, Hong Kong under one country, two systems, South Korea under the leadership of Park Chung-hee which led to the Miracle on the Han River, the rapid development of Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew, which has been ruled by the People's Action Party since independence and also Japan's economic miracle under the 1955 System, where the Liberal Democratic Party
has been the dominant Japanese party continuously in power since 1955,
except for brief periods between 1993 and 1994, and again from 2009 to
2012.
