Asia remains at the center of US foreign policy

Deutsche Welle, 2 July 2013

US Secretary of State John Kerry has taken a clear stance at this year's ASEAN Regional Forum. His country is to remain committed in Asia, but also to avoid direct confrontation with its main rival China.

America's foreign policy shift towards Asia was initiated by Kerry's predecessor Hillary Clinton. In 2009, she made her first trip as Secretary of State to Asia. Two years later, she declared this century to be "America's Pacific Century." In an essay for "Foreign Policy" magazine she wrote: "Just as Asia is critical to America's future, an engaged America is vital to Asia's future."

Clinton initiated the US' foreign
policy shift towards Asia

In the past few months, however, doubts have been cast over whether the US was both willing and capable of continuing its commitment in Asia, according to Ernest Bower and Noelan Arbis, senior advisers at the US-based Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) "Regional partners have questions about the sustainability and level of commitment of the rebalance as Kerry has seemingly prioritized the Syrian conflict and restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since taking office on February 1."

'Enduring presence'

However, the Secretary of State seems to have taken a different approach at this year's Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei. During the opening ceremony Kerry emphasized that the US would continue on the path it had taken so far with the Asia Pacific and keep on building on "our active and our enduring presence in every respect."

Set up in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum has 27 members. The annual meeting includes the 18 members of the East Asia Summit such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea the United States as well as nine other states.

Kerry seems to be following the strategy adopted by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during his visit last month to the Asian security conference, the Shangri-La dialogue. Hagel said: "It is true that the Department of Defense will have fewer resources than in the recent past. It would be unwise and short-sighted to conclude, however, that our commitment to the rebalance cannot be sustained."

'No intention of containing China'

According to Bower and Arbis, the strategic challenges the US has to face are diverse. They range from the territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas to North Korea's nuclear program and religious violence in Myanmar.

The US approach to the territorial dispute in the South China Sea serves as a good example for this. Kerry addressed the issue in Brunei by saying: "We have a strong interest in the manner in which the disputes of the South China Sea are addressed and in the conduct of the parties. We very much hope to see progress soon on a substantive code of conduct in order to help ensure stability in this vital region."

At the same time, Kerry pointed out that the US wouldn't get involved in particular disputes, and that it would instead push for international regulations. It seems that by doing so the US is seeking to support its regional partners and act as a counterbalance to China, without being on a confrontation course. Kerry underscored this point indirectly in Brunei: "Our actions are not intended to contain or to counterbalance any one country."

However, Gerhard Will, researcher at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, is not convinced. "The US is pursuing a policy of containment, though it does not always seem to be aware of it. Washington claims it wants to give the Chinese more say, but if you look closely, you'll see that this is not the case."

Kerry (r) said US actions were not aimed
at counterbalancing any country

This could lead to China and the US facing each other as rivals in South East Asia, Will says. "A strategy like this doesn't have any long-term prospects and will ultimately force ASEAN member states to choose between a pro-American and a pro-Chinese side."

This is why Will believes that Kerry has set out to regain the trust of ASEAN countries. The expert says these nations believe they cannot necessarily count on US support in times of true crisis, as the dispute over the Scarborough Shoal shows. Last year, Chinese surveillance ships seized the Scarborough Shoal following a tense standoff with Philippine vessels. The US didn't intervene.

Community of interests

But Will says this situation is different from the one during the Cold War where Americans and Soviets faced each other as enemies. "Things are much more complicated nowadays," he said, adding that the far-reaching economic relations between the US and China have created a community of interest. "It's difficult to reconcile a policy of containment with the economic interests of both the US and China."

This community of interests was apparent regarding North Korea. After a meeting between Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, both leaders said they were "absolutely united" in their resistance to North Korea's nuclear program.

ASEAN to have disaster mitigation center

Antara News, Thu, March 24 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - ASEAN will have a natural disaster mitigation center in Jakarta called ASEAN Human Assistance Center slated to be operational beginning in June 2011, according to the Vice-President`s spokesperson.

"The presence of the center is aimed at mitigating the impacts of disasters and it is expected to be commissioned at the time when an ASEAN summit is held here," the Vice-President`s spokesperson, Yopie Hidayat, told newsmen here on Wednesday.

Hidayat briefed the media after he accompanied Vice-President Boediono in receiving ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan who conveyed a report on some important events in 2011 connected to ASEAN when Indonesia is the chair this year.

According to Hidayat, the mitigation center will analyze the many forms of natural disaster within ASEAN, something to be done by adopting the model for such mitigation center as developed in Japan.

In the meeting, Secretary General Surin reported the planned holding of ASEAN Global Dialogue which is to be organized in Bali to bring together the representatives of the World Bank and the business sectors.

The event is scheduled for October or November in which some leaders of major countries, including the United States, are expected to attend. Indonesia and ASEAN as a whole will be able to take a lesson from the experiences of those developed countries.

Other important events will also include the Conference of ASEAN Connectivity where investors from many countries are to be invited so that they may explore the potentials within ASEAN.

This particular conference will discuss the various ASEAN connectivity projects whose master plans have been agreed on in the national levels of each ASEAN member states, he said.

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

RI voices need for regional cooperation in handling disasters

Antara News, Tue, March 15 2011

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Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has voiced the need for regional cooperation in dealing with natural disasters in Asia and Pacific.

When speaking before the ASEAN Regional Forum on Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF DIREX) 2011 here on Tuesday Indonesian Vice President Boediono said "we have not forgotten the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that claimed thousands of lives in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand in 2004. Now it has struck Japan. This shows just how important regional cooperation and disaster management is."

Boediono said almost all member countries of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) are located in the Ring of Fire that have often seen volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, floods and landslides.

He said natural disasters have often happened in the past few years with higher intensity posing a big challenge. He said this has now become a common challenge needed the attention of international community.

In view of that he viewed the ARF DIREX as a good response to improve management and coordination among regional offices concerned.

"We must build cooperation closer and more integratedly to deal with natural disasters. Our target is ability to respond disasters correctly," he said.

Indonesia`s defense minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro meanwhile said at the opening speech that the ARF DIREX joint exercise would also increase cooperation and coordination between military and civilians in disaster handling.

He said in the exercise that would also involve use of military hardware would also boost synergy between the military and civilians that would speed up disaster handling and improve its quality.

The ARF DIREX is attended by participants from 20 countries. Japan`s deputy foreign minister Makiko Kikuta as co-chairman of the exercise also addressed the ceremony. The Japanese delegation had withdrawn its participation due to the earthquake and tsunami engulfing their country on Friday, Syamsul Mu`arif who is the chief of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

Related Article:

RI sits on Pacific "ring of fire" : official

RI, EU hold seminar on maritime security in Brussels

Antara News, Monday, November 23, 2009 14:34 WIB

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the European Union organized a seminar themed "Measures to Enhance Maritime Security: Legal and Practical Aspects" at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Brussels on Monday.

The seminar was initiated jointly by Indonesia, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) SOM Leaders and EU President Karl-Olof Anderson of Sweden, according to Priatna, a diplomat of the Indonesian embassy in Brussels, Monday.

Priatna said the seminar was a follow up of a decision taken during the last meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) senior officials held in Phuket last July.

The Second ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Senior Official Meeting on Maritime Security will be held in New Zealand in March 2010. The results of the meeting will be put forward as recommendations to an ARF ministerial level meeting to be held in Vietnam in mid 2010.

The Brussels seminar was jointly chaired by the Indonesian foreign ministry`s Director General for Asia, Pacific and Africa (Aspasaf) Hamzah Thayeb, who was also the head of the Indonesian delegation, and Head of the European Commission Adviser on ARF SOM Tomasz Kozlowski.

Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium Nadjib Riphat Kesoema at an informal gathering with the seminar`s participants at the Indonesian embassy in Brussels, hailed the cooperation between the European Union and Indonesia within the ARF forum.

It demonstrated that bilateral relations between Indonesia and the European Union were at a very conducive level, he said.

"There are a lot of things that can be implemented jointly by Indonesia and the European Union such as cooperation in the political and security fields," he said.

The Indonesian ambassador hoped that the bilateral relatitions between Indonesia and the European Union could be intensified through activities to mutual benefit.

Related Article:

RI considering request for extended participation in maritime task force

Singapore PM says good China-ASEAN ties helpful in tackling global crisis

www.chinaview.cn, Zhang Yongxing, Gao Chuan, 2009-04-08 14:52:03

SINGAPORE, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The good ties and mutual understanding between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not only help both sides to work together to tackle the global crisis, but also help them to maintain peace and stability in the Asia Pacific, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Lee voiced his satisfaction over the all-round development of China-ASEAN relationship over the past years, saying that both sides have built up good rapport and understanding.

"China is one of ASEAN's most important partners. China's trade with ASEAN makes up over one-tenth of ASEAN's total trade, "he said, adding that "leaders and senior officials from China and ASEAN countries meet several times each year. Our businesses and peoples also interact intensively."

As for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA), a vast market with a population of 1.8 billion and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP)of 2 trillion U.S. dollars will be established in 2010, he said that the FTA has further enhanced bilateral ties between ASEAN and China.

"We have progressively built up the FTA, starting with the Trade-in-Goods Agreement in 2004, the Services Agreement in 2007, and finally the Investment Agreement this year. Now that the whole FTA has been completed, our companies should make full use of it. We should also regularly review the FTA to improve its terms and keep it up-to-date," he noted.

Lee praised China for what the largest developing country has done to improve its ties with the 10-member ASEAN, saying that both China and ASEAN are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific, and this is a pre-condition for economic progress.

"China has acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and committed itself to promoting peace, friendship and cooperation in the region. China and ASEAN have also signed the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea which commits us to exercise self-restraint, and to the peaceful resolution of disputes," he pointed out.

Lee said that ASEAN's approach is to build an open and inclusive East Asian community by gradually involving more countries in an enlarging circle.

The ASEAN plus China (10+1) mechanisms provide a sound base for larger regional schemes such as the ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea 10+3) process the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), he added.

Seeing the effort to link up the East Asian economies through Free Trade Agreements (FTA) as "a good example", he said that the ASEAN members, which have had a free trade area since 1992, have in recent years extended the network by negotiating ASEAN plus China FTAs with its Dialogue Partners, and are close to conclude FTAs with all six partners in the East Asia Summit.

At the forthcoming meeting in Pattaya, Thailand this weekend, Lee said, ASEAN economic ministers will sign the China-ASEAN Investment Agreement, and they have also started work on the next steps: an ASEAN plus three FTA and an East Asian Summit FTA.

Talking about the role Singapore can play in the regional bloc, Lee said that as a small country, Singapore tries to be an honest broker.

"We work with our ASEAN counterparts to engage major powers in the region. We contribute ideas, and help to foster consensus among the countries," he said.

Lee stressed that the excellent relationship between China and Singapore can serve as "a bridge" to promote better understanding and cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Hailing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as "the premier forum" for promoting peace and security in the region, he said that such forum covers both traditional (such as counter-terrorism) as well as non-traditional (such as disaster relief, maritime security and non-proliferation) security cooperation.

As active participants in the ARF, China and Singapore are cooperating on several initiatives in nuclear safety, non-proliferation and disaster relief, Lee said, adding that the two countries are also co-organizing an ARF seminar on laws and regulations in disaster relief in Beijing later this month.

Lee said that they applaud China's commitment to the ARF, and working together, they can jointly enhance the ARF's role in promoting peace and security in the Asia Pacific.

Lee urged Asia to maintain open in trade and investment, saying that such regime is vital to the region.

"All countries depend on trade to develop and grow their economies. Amidst the global economic difficulties, we must signal to the world that East Asia continues to be open for business, to give investors confidence to make long term investments in the region," he said.

In regard to how to deal with the current global crisis, Lee said that the first priority must be to resolve the current global crisis as quickly as possible.

He detailed that this requires countries to work together to address the falling global demand. They must break the debilitating cycle of poor consumer sentiment, weakening economic activity and tightening credit, he added.

The decision of the recent G-20 meeting in London to commit 1 trillion U.S. dollars to mend the world economy through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other institutions will contribute to this, he said.

In the developed countries, he continued, the most urgent task is to repair the financial systems. This includes recapitalizing banks and removing toxic assets from their books.

Countries must also continue to reject all forms of financial protectionism, and government measures that push banks to lend more domestically at the expense of their foreign lending will especially hurt emerging economies, he stressed.

Lee also advised that in the medium term, they have to strengthen and improve the regulation of financial institutions and markets. But they must not swing to the other extreme of excessive government regulation which will hamper the flow of credit.

"We will need to improve macro-prudential analysis of the global financial system, draw attention to vulnerabilities in both developing and developed countries, and work out effective responses to these vulnerabilities. This will be extremely challenging," he said.

Lee believes that the emerging economies, which are still much smaller than the developed ones, are a growing factor in global prosperity and financial stability.

The emerging economies, which should play a larger role in the international financial system, should also take on more responsibility for upholding the system and solving problems which affect all countries, he added.

With regards to the planned Patty meeting, Lee said that the deepening economic and financial crisis will be high on the agenda, and East Asian countries must understand what the others are doing, and discuss how they can collectively tackle the crisis.

One important objective, he said, should be to issue a strong statement to support free trade and avoid protectionist measures.

"Governments are under strong pressure to protect domestic producers and discriminate against imports. We need to constantly remind ourselves and our peoples that restricting the free flow of goods and services will make all countries worse off and prolong the downturn, " he said.

On the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), which needs to be operationalized expeditiously, he said that Asian economies are generally sound, but they should take preventive steps to mitigate against confidence crises and capital flight.

"The CMIM will complement the IMF and World Bank facilities as well as bilateral swap arrangements. All these will help Asian economies to cope with any financial turbulence," he said.

For the longer term, they must continue to bring the East Asian community closer together, he said, adding that regional economic integration will help them to weather such economic storms and also deal with other cross-border issues, such as terrorism, pandemics, and food and energy security.

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to Hold First Disaster Relief Exercise in the Philippines

BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC, April 6, 2009

The United States and the Republic of the Philippines will co-sponsor the May 4-8 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Voluntary Demonstration of Response (VDR) in the Philippines.

The ARF-VDR is a civilian-led, military supported demonstration designed to display ARF nations’ capabilities. Following a hypothetical super-typhoon, participating countries will offer assistance in response to a Philippine Government request for international humanitarian relief. Areas of demonstration include land, air and maritime search and rescue, medical assistance/evacuation and engineering reconstruction. Civil-military projects will include reconstruction of a school building, construction of a bridge, installation of a water system and the medical treatment of approximately 8,000 Filipinos in the Central Luzon area.

This first-ever field exercise for ARF serves as a concrete contribution to building capacity for transnational security cooperation in areas like humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Over 20 countries from the Asia-Pacific region will participate in the ARF-VDR activity with 12 countries contributing assets, personnel, and capabilities. U.S. delegates will include U.S. Ambassador for ASEAN Scot Marciel as well as Lieutenant General Keith J. Stalder, Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific.

Media are invited to observe and report on the VDR from May 4-6 along with senior civil and military attendees from ARF nations and expert-level civil and military observers. As the VDR lead, interested media should contact Ms. Betty Lou Penera with the Philippines Information Agency at +63-2-924-1942, email blpenera@yahoo.com or visit http://www.pia.gov.ph/arfvdr/ for more information regarding scheduling, accreditation, deadline, and other arrangements.