Research On The Green Growth Under Cross-border Regional Cooperation In The Circum-East Sea Bloc (CESB)

This study is intended to draw up plans to achieve cross-border regionalcooperation to accomplish economic development in the Circum-East Sea Bloc(CESB) from a green growth perspective. The CESB includes Russia, China, NorthKorea, Japan, and South Korea. Successful regional cooperation among the CESBcountries is based on the premise that the relevant parties are ready to participatetogether to reach a good understanding. Regional cooperation between and among theCESB countries was initiated in the early 1990s. Although there was initialmomentum, it did not last. The discontinued cooperation was partly due togovernments’lukewarm support and political factors. In addition, co-operation didnot yield hoped-for substantial benefits.A certain opportunity or momentum is needed to induce regional cooperationamong the CESB countries. This study emphasizes that a green growth strategy mayprovide the impetus to CESB regional cooperation, which is currently stalemated.Specifically, this study examines whether the CESB countries could play a hub role inregional green growth and, if so, which theoretical bases are needed, what shouldgovernments provide for and support, which institutional approach is needed topromote regional cooperation, what are the alternatives to green growth-led regionaldevelopment, and so forth.While global warming has sounded alarm about a threat to human existence itself,a green growth strategy could provide the key to reacting to those signals. Mostexperts agree that the CESB countries, which have abundant green resources, may beable to successfully fulfill the goal of green growth. The citizens of the CESBcountries surveyed for this thesis assume that various cooperation activities couldoccur in the future and believe that much advancement in green industrializationbased on green resources should be made. Additionally, they believe that multilateral and bilateral cooperation activities will occur regardless of the will of the citizens ofthe CESB countries. To see cross-border cooperation between local governments inneighboring countries occur, trust between countries must be built up first andforemost.The author examined a variety of data, policies, and cooperative projects in theregion needed to understand recent research trends and basic theories regardingregional cooperation. A green growth strategy may help disentangle the complicatedsituation regarding regional cooperation between and among the CESB countries. Inother parts of the world, developed countries regard investment activities dealing withglobal warming as opportunities to secure their future energy sources. We,representatives of the CESB countries, need to draw up a similar cooperation andinvestment strategy to transform the CESB into a center of green growth.The East Sea coastal region is being regarded as a base for the green energyindustry, which is one of South Korea’s key national industries. The region hasbeautiful mountains, abundant historical and cultural resources, and many R&Dfacilities related to ocean resources. North Korea is preparing for economicliberalization by designating the Najin and Sunbong Free Trade Zone and the Mt.Kumgang Tourism Area. China is planning to pursue development in the East Searegion by focusing on its three northeast provinces. It is anticipated that Russia willenlarge its investment in the CESB with the aim of promoting energy, agriculture,fisheries, and tourism businesses in the region. The western coastal region of Japan isstruggling to establish a strategic partnership with the CESB. These actions inneighboring countries will open a new era for the CESB in the fields of maritimeaffairs, energy, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, and logistics cooperation.The citizens of the CESB assume that they must take the lead in developingregional cooperative activities in a proactive manner, and that several unforeseenregional cooperative activities of a positive nature will ensue. They also think localgovernments must seriously examine whether to establish a regional economiccommunity, which will require more cooperation among local areas in neighboringcountries in green growth sectors such as the environment, agriculture, fisheries, the economy, trade, culture, and tourism. In the view of the author, the centralgovernment should exert more efforts in mediating between local governments topromote cooperation between them, which is crucial to the promotion and success oflarge scale SOC projects such as ports and railroads. In the survey, residents of localareas emphasized the establishment of such infrastructure as the development ofcooperative institutions for green growth, the strengthening of R&D partnershipsamong green companies, and joint study to identify ways of developing greenresources.In the author’s opinion, regional cooperation should move ahead based on thetiming, features, and region of the parties concerned. To this end, a common visionfor regional cooperation should be shared, cooperative parties in the area of the CESBsurrounding NEAR should be integrated, identification of sustainable cooperativetasks and mutually complimentary cooperative activities should be sought, phased-incooperative expansion should be initiated, institutional foundations should be built,and joint efforts to encourage North Korea to open and make reforms should be made.In particular, in order for Gyeongbuk Province to develop, government policyinitiatives should be formulated to move ahead with the establishment of an energycommunity and a green tourism environment in the areas of the CESB surroundingthe East Sea, as well as projects involving maritime resources development,environmentally-friendly fishery resources development, and infrastructure to be builtover a wide area in the East Sea.This study, which is based on a green growth strategy, came up with severalpreconditions for the promotion and success of regional cooperation between andamong the CESB countries. This study stresses the importance of natural resources inthe region from a green growth perspective, emphasizes the need to implementprojects in the order of likelihood of success, and recommends that long-term projectsbe distinguished from short-term ones. Local governments should draft administrativestrategies, while central governments should provide institutional support. Also,decisions on investment should be based on whether the investment could producesubstantial results. Also, an investment strategy which utilizes the existing infrastructure of ports, railroads and airports is required.The CESB countries form a region in which complementary resources such asundervalued green resources, cheap land prices appealing to new investors, able laborforces, technologies, and capital coexist. The CESB could surely rise as a regionaleconomic bloc which leads the global economy in the 21st century if the potential forgreen growth is well realized.