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US will continue to engage Asia: Gates

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks at the plenary session during the seventh Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

The US said yesterday it would not disengage from Asia despite political and strategic commitments elsewhere, as China told the region it is not a military threat to anyone.

The declarations were made at a high-profile conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, of defense ministers and military officials from 26 Asia-Pacific countries. Organizers say the annual meeting provides an opportunity for friends, foes and uneasy neighbors to meet and thrash out issues in private.

But there is some blunt talk as well, usually by the US.

Much of US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ opening speech was devoted to making it clear that the change in the US administration next year would not lessen the US’ commitment to Asia, which dates back to World War II.

US interests in Asia “will endure no matter which political party occupies the White House next year,” Gates said.

Many governments in the region fear that US military and political commitments in the Middle East and Afghanistan will pull it away from eastern Asia and the Pacific.

“For those who worry that Iraq and Afghanistan have distracted the United States from Asia and developments here, I would counter that we have never been more engaged with more [Asian] countries,” Gates said.

One participant expressed concern that with growing economic uncertainty at home, the US may not be able to afford its huge presence in Asia — including military bases in Japan, the Philippines and South Korea and a massive naval deployment in the Pacific Ocean.

“There are enormous budgetary pressures building up in the United States,” said Kishore Mabhubani, a Singapore diplomat. “At some point the US electorate will ask, ‘Why do we need to have such a sizable military presence in Asia?’”

Although US military bases arouse anger among some in Asia, most governments feel a US presence is crucial — not only as protection from non-Asian threats, but also to counterbalance the growing military strength of China and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.

China’s defense budget for this year is reported to be US$59 billion, up 17.6 percent from a year ago. Other countries say China vastly underreports how much it spends on its military. The Pentagon estimates that China’s military expenditure last year was between US$97 billion and US$139 billion.

Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian (馬曉天), China’s deputy chief of the general staff for foreign affairs, told the conference that only a third of this year’s budget would go to buy armaments, with the rest for general maintenance expenses such as salaries and training.

“China will always adopt a defensive defense policy. We do not engage in arms race. We are a military threat to no other country,” he said. “You shall never see hegemony or expansionism.”

The Chinese army is prepared to step up military exchanges with Asia-Pacific countries, as well as cooperate in areas such as counterterrorism and disaster relief, he said.

Still, one of China’s closest neighbors, Japan, is uneasy.

Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said even though China may not be regarded as a security threat, it has a duty to its neighbors to be transparent about its military capabilities.

“Japan tries to be transparent in this sense and I want to see the same transparency in China,” Ishiba said. “If we are transparent and generate mutual understanding ... then it will generate more confidence.”

The conference, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, continues today.
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