US shifts focus to China risks, Zelenskiy arrives at Asia defence meeting
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1 of 8 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the
Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
[1/8]Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su Purchase Licensing Rights - Pentagon head says Asia security is a U.S. priority
- Ukraine, Gaza conflicts risk drawing attention away from China
- U.S. seeks to grow alliances in Asia, including Philippines
- Ukraine's Zelenskiy to address summit on Sunday
SINGAPORE,
June 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tried to refocus
attention on China's threat in the Asia-Pacific on Saturday, seeking to
alleviate concerns that conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have distracted
from America's security commitments in the region.
Just hours after Austin spoke at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Ukrainian President
Volodomyr Zelenskiy arrived in Singapore, where he will address delegates at the security forum on Sunday.
In
a statement on the social media platform X, he said he had come to
gather support from the Asia-Pacific region for a peace summit planned
for June 15-16 in Switzerland. He said he planned to hold several
meetings, including with Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam
and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Timor-Leste President José
Ramos-Horta, Austin, and Singaporean investors.
Zelenskiy
later wrote on Telegram that he had discussed the front-line situation
with members of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, including
"the dispatch of additional air defence systems." Sanctions against
Russia were also discussed.
Austin
met his Chinese counterpart,
Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the conference on Friday in a bid to cool
friction over issues ranging from Taiwan to China's military activity
in the South China Sea.
There
has been increasing concern that Washington's focus on helping Ukraine
counter Russia's invasion and support for Israel's war in Gaza, while
trying to ensure that the conflict does not spread, has taken away
attention from the Indo-Pacific.
"Despite
these historic clashes in Europe and the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific
has remained our priority theatre of operations," Austin said in his
speech, which appeared aimed at underlining the administration's legacy
in the region as President Joe Biden's first term in office nears its
end.
Biden is running for re-election in November against former President Donald Trump.
"Let
me be clear: The United States can be secure only if Asia is secure,"
Austin said. "That’s why the United States has long maintained our
presence in this region."
Austin underscored the importance of alliances in the region.
"And
... peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and not coercion
or conflict. And certainly not through so-called punishment," Austin
said, taking a shot at China.
In
response, Chinese Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng said the U.S.
Indo-Pacific strategy was intended "to create division, provoke
confrontation and undermine stability."
"It
only serves the selfish geopolitical interests of the U.S. and runs
counter to the trend of history and the shared aspirations of regional
countries for peace, development and win-win cooperation," said Jing,
deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military
Commission.
Some
U.S. officials say Beijing has become more emboldened in recent years,
recently launching what it described as "punishment" drills around
Taiwan, sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks after
Lai Ching-te was inaugurated as Taiwan's president.
GAZA PROPOSAL
Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, told the meeting that his nation was willing to send
peacekeeping troops to Gaza to maintain a ceasefire, if needed.
He said U.S. President Joe Biden's
three-phase proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza was a step in the right direction.
"When
needed and when requested by the U.N., we are prepared to contribute
significant peacekeeping forces to maintain and monitor this prospective
ceasefire as well as providing protection and security to all parties
and to all sides," Prabowo said.
Prabowo, currently defence minister, takes over the presidency of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation in October.
The
United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid
to Ukraine since Russia's February, 2022 invasion, and the U.S. Congress
appropriated $61 billion more last month. It has also continued to arm
Israel, and the same bill provides $26 billion to in additional support
for that country.
In
another session, South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik declined to
say whether his country would change its laws, which prohibit arms
exports to nations in conflicts, to more directly provide aid to
Ukraine.
In the last year, South Korea has transferred artillery ammunition to the United States and signed historically large
arms deals with Poland; both of those countries provide security assistance to Ukraine.
About
$8 billion in U.S. funding is set aside for countering China in the
Indo-Pacific as part of the supplemental funding bill passed by
lawmakers.
The
Philippines, a sprawling archipelago with strong historical ties to the
United States and close geographical proximity to China, is at the
centre of an intensifying power struggle between Washington and Beijing.
Austin
said the harassment faced by the Philippines was dangerous and
reiterated that the United States' mutual defence treaty with Manila was
iron clad. He said the aim was for tensions between Beijing and Manila
not to spiral out of control.
"America
will continue to play a vital role in the Indo-Pacific, together with
our friends across the region that we share and care so much about,"
Austin said.
Jing, the Chinese general, said these alliances contributed to instability in the region.
"It
is natural for neighbours to bicker sometimes, but we need to resolve
disagreements through dialogue and consultation rather than inviting
wolves into our house and playing with fire," he said.
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Reporting
by Idrees Ali, Fanny Potkin, Tom Westbrook, and Xinghui Kok; Writing by
Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Joe Brock, and Gerry Doyle
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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National
security correspondent focusing on the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
Reports on U.S. military activity and operations throughout the world
and the impact that they have. Has reported from over two dozen
countries to include Iraq, Afghanistan, and much of the Middle East,
Asia and Europe. From Karachi, Pakistan.
Xinghui
leads the Singapore bureau, directing coverage of one of the region’s
bellwether economies and Southeast Asia's main financial hub. This
ranges from macroeconomics to monetary policy, property, politics,
public health and socioeconomic issues. She also keeps an eye on things
that are unique to Singapore, such as how it repealed an anti-gay sex
law but goes against global trends by maintaining policies unfavourable
to LGBT families.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/even-singapore-lifts-gay-sex-ban-lgbt-families-feel-little-has-changed-2022-11-29/
Xinghui previously covered Asia for the South China Morning Post and has
been in journalism for a decade.