The United States military commander in the Pacific urges compromise in the worsening territorial rows in Asia.
(Reuters) — A top U.S. military commander in the Asia-Pacific region said on Friday (May 23) that tensions in the region need to be resolved by adherence to the rule of law and a stable security environment.
Admiral Samuel Locklear, the head of the U.S. military’s Pacific Command, made the comments during the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Manila.
In a group discussion, on the last day of the forum, Locklear said the rise of China and India in the 21st century, along with the increasing importance of Indonesia, would require governments to seriously consider the need for a stable military architecture to ensure economic security.
“Seven out of the ten largest armies in the world are in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region. All the large navies in the world are here. And so how these forces are managed to create a fabric of security that allows economic success here has not yet been determined,” said Locklear.
Locklear did not directly refer to China’s territorial clashes with its neighbours. He did state, however, that the United States as a whole has a great interest in the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region.
“You will never stop having friction in this part of the world, because a good economic growth, a good competition is good for the region. And that springs competition, that springs friction. But we have to have a security environment that allows that friction to occur without tearing and then sending the region into what you described might have been a century ago,” he added.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich in energy resources, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Tension rose this month when China moved a giant oil rig into an area also claimed by Vietnam. The Philippines, United States and Vietnam denounced China’s actions.
China says that the South China Sea issue should be resolved via direct talks between the parties concerned, and has bristled at what it sees as unwarranted U.S. interference.
Locklear said the U.S. was “cautiously” watching the military development in the region.
“Out of cautious, that we need to spend more time looking at what is happening in the military side of things in Asia. The rapid growth of militaries, the rapid growth of military equipment, much of it offensive in nature… Just leave everybody alone and do business, that’s fine. But at some point in time, history would tell us, if those are improperly used, then it will destroy that security fabric to the point that business can’t go on, it cannot go on. And when that comes and we got a big problem in Asia where seven out of ten people in the world now live, we don’t want to go there again. We’ve been there. We don’t want to go there again,” said Locklear, referring to the Cold War which has dominated the global political and economic landscape for the second half of the 20th century.
About 600 delegates from 30 countries attended the three-day World Economic Forum on East Asia, which aims to bring business and government leaders together to discuss the economic outlook in the region, along with challenges and opportunities in the evolving ASEAN economy.
This year’s discussion tackles poverty reduction strategies, economic growth projections in East Asia and Climate Change.
