East Asia has emerged as a region exemplifying stability and economic growth amid a deteriorating global security environment and increasing tensions between the United States and its European allies, according to Yan Xuetong, honorary president of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Speaking at a media event in Beijing on Thursday ahead of the World Peace Forum, Yan highlighted East Asia’s sustained peace since 1991, noting the absence of interstate wars despite some low-level conflicts and the ongoing civil war in Myanmar. He defined East Asia as including the five Northeast Asian countries—China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Mongolia—alongside the 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Yan contrasted East Asia’s relative stability with Europe’s escalating security challenges driven by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and suggested that European nations lacked the capacity to maintain regional peace if the war persists. He said East Asia’s peace rests on long-term efforts to manage and contain military conflicts without allowing them to escalate, fostering a framework better suited to maintaining both peace and economic progress.

“After decades of effort, East Asian countries have developed their own approach to minimize military conflict and, when it does occur, to contain it without escalation to full-scale war,” Yan said. He projected that the region could become a global benchmark, surpassing Europe in fostering peace and economic development, core indicators of regional stability.

Yan further emphasized the impact of widening transatlantic divisions on global geopolitics. Citing recent tensions between the United States and its NATO allies amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, he noted disruptions including economic fallout and reluctance from European partners to engage directly. US President Donald Trump’s public criticism of NATO members, such as Italy’s refusal to allow US military use of its infrastructure, underscored the growing rift.

The ongoing US-Iran conflict has also intensified the global arms race, Yan observed. He pointed to increased deployment of unmanned weaponry that lowers the risk of personnel casualties for militarily advanced nations and potentially encourages preemptive strikes, increasing insecurity and defense expenditures globally.

Yan highlighted contradictions in international approaches to nuclear non-proliferation, noting differing standards applied to Iran and Israel amid the conflict. He also raised concerns over international maritime security following military actions involving the strategic Strait of Hormuz, noting the absence of sanctions or unified global response to disruptions in this critical shipping route.

With rising geopolitical fragmentation and persistent conflicts in regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Yan forecasted a worsening global security situation over the next five years, underscoring East Asia’s potential to set a new standard for peace and economic growth.