By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
SINGAPORE
- From this island nation in the South China Sea, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta sent a message Saturday that America's
new military focus on the Asia-Pacific is not intended to raise tensions in the
region or threaten Beijing.
From this island nation in the South China Sea,
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta sent a message Saturday that America's new
military focus on the Asia-Pacific is not intended to raise tensions in the
region or threaten Beijing.
The Pentagon chief appeared to offer an olive
branch to the communist power and said often feuding rivals must learn to work
better together for the benefit of the entire region.
Delivering his most extensive thoughts to date on
the fragile state of U.S.-China relations, Panetta said neither side is naive
about their disagreements.
"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) relationship,"
Panetta said at a security conference in Singapore.
At the same time, however, Panetta said Asian
nations must find a way to resolve their own conflicts because the U.S. cannot
always come charging in to help.
Tensions between the U.S.
and China reverberate across
the region, and are often focused on America's
support of Taiwan, which China regards
as a breakaway province and threatens to use force to block any Taiwanese bid
for formal independence.
Another area of dispute is the South China Sea,
which Beijing
claims almost entirely as its own. But Taiwan,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore,
Brunei and the Philippines
also have territorial claims.
More recently the U.S.
has been vocal in blaming China
for cyberattacks that emanate from the country and steal critical data from U.S. government
agencies and private American companies.
On that front, Panetta said U.S. and
Chinese leaders have talked about developing teams that can work together on
difficult issues. That could involve how to exchange information on
computer-based threats and whether they can agree on standards for the use of
cybercapabilities.
The goal, Panetta said, is for the U.S. and China to develop the ability to
communicate when disputes arise so that they can be resolved peacefully.
Defense experts attending the conference
questioned Panetta extensively about China,
with one query coming from a member of China's People's Liberation Army.
But officials also noted that Beijing
did not send any of its senior leaders to the conference. It was not clear why,
although some officials suggested that China's leaders were busy with
internal issues.
Questioners asked whether adding more U.S. military
to the region might embolden some smaller nations and risk triggering more
conflicts. They also wondered aloud whether China's
leaders boycotted the conference in protest over America's new strategy for the
region.
"I don't think we should take the attitude
that just because we improve their capabilities that we're asking for more
trouble," Panetta said.
Panetta also issued a strong call for Asian
nations to set up a code of conduct, including rules governing maritime rights
and navigation in the South China Sea, and
then develop a forum where disputes can be settled.
"It isn't enough for the United States
to come charging in and try and resolve these issues," Panetta said,
adding that the Asian nations must develop ways to peacefully solve their own
problems.
Panetta's speech was designed to give a more
detailed explanation about the new defense strategy. It puts more focus on the
Asia-Pacific, including plans to increase the number of U.S. military
personnel, warships and other assets in the region over the next several years.
Specifically, he said that by 2020, about 60
percent of the fleet will be assigned there as part of a new strategy to
increase U.S. presence in Asia. Currently, the Navy has about 285 ships, with
roughly half assigned to each coast, but that total may decline a bit as some
ships are retired in the coming years and may not be replaced.
The current fleet includes 11 aircraft carriers,
with six assigned to the Pacific. The West Coast total is expected to go down
to five, but Panetta said he will maintain six carriers in the Pacific over the
long term.
While noting it may take years to complete the
transition, Panetta said that U.S.
budget problems and cutbacks would not get in the way of changes. He said the
U.S. Defense Department has money in the five-year budget plan to meet those
goals.
He said he is looking forward to visiting China later this year, adding that he wants to
see the U.S. and China deepen
their military ties, including on counterdrug programs and humanitarian aid.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., questioned
Panetta's optimism about relations with China, but said he hopes it works
out. He added that the Pentagon must begin planning for the possibility that an
additional $500 million may have to be cut from the defense budget early next
year if lawmakers can't agree on spending cuts in the next several months.
Panetta has said he believes Congress will
eventually find a way to avoid the automatic cuts.
Singapore
is Panetta's second stop on a nine-day trip through Asia, and is expected to
travel to Vietnam and India.
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