US shifts focus to China risks; Zelenskiy arrives at Asia defense meeting

[June 01, 2024]  By Idrees Ali and Xinghui Kok

SINGAPORE (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.

He is expected to hold talks with Austin and other leaders attending the conference, seeking support for a "peace summit" this month in Switzerland.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su

"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.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr on Friday denounced illegal, coercive and aggressive actions in the South China Sea, a disputed ocean territory that China has been flooding with coastguard ships in recent months.

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.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Fanny Potkin, Tom Westbrook, and Xinghui Kok; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Joe Brock, and Gerry Doyle)

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