There is “no other alternative” for the US and China but to boost military-to-military relations to manage disputes, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said yesterday.
A robust security dialogue between the two powers is key to the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, Panetta told delegates to the Shangri-La Dialogue.
“Our relationship with China — we approach it in a very clear-eyed way. We are not naive about the relationship and neither is China,” he said in response to a question after a speech.
Photo: Reuters
“We both understand the differences we have, we both understand the conflicts we have, but we also both understand that there really is no other alternative but for both of us to engage and to improve our communications, and to improve our military-to-military relationship,” Panetta said.
Panetta said there would be “ups and downs” along the way, but it was vital to keep the lines of communication open.
“It’s to build that kind of relationship recognizing that we are going to have disputes ... that we are going to have conflicts, but also recognizing that it is in the interest of both China and the United States to resolve these issues in a peaceful way,” he said.
“That’s the only key to advancing their prosperity and to advancing our prosperity,” he added.
Before arriving in Singapore on Friday, Panetta told reporters aboard his plane that he had come away encouraged about the state of the US-China security dialogue after recent talks with his Chinese counterpart and other officials in Washington.
He said both powers must go beyond the mutual distrust that often characterized relations in the past.
“I think what both of us have to recognize is that we are powers in this region. We have common interests in this region, we have common obligations to try to promote peace and prosperity and security in this region,” he said at the Singapore summit.
In laying out core US principles in the region, Panetta made clear that Washington opposed any attempt by Beijing to make unilateral moves in its push for territorial rights in the oil-rich South China Sea.
Disputes had to be resolved through agreed-upon rules among all countries and based on international law, he said.
He also alluded to US concerns over China’s alleged cyber intrusions and spying, saying that in talks with Beijing the two sides had “agreed on the need to address responsible behavior in cyberspace and in outer space.”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
RSS