President Barack Obama has pledged that planned cuts in defence spending will not affect America’s military presence in east Asia, as the US seeks to play a larger role in shaping the region’s future.
Speaking to the Australian parliament in Canberra, Mr Obama said Washington hoped to improve co-operation with Beijing, but stressed that the US was “here to stay” as a Pacific power despite China’s dramatic economic and military advances. The Asia Pacific region, he added, was now a “top priority”.
The speech, one of the most significant foreign policy statements of Mr Obama’s presidency, brought together several important shifts in US strategy that have been taking shape over the past two years and are aimed at addressing the rise of China. These include the winding down of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and increased attention on south-east Asia and the South China Sea.
The president also emphasised Washington’s desire for India to play a larger role in regional issues.
“Here is what the region must know. As we end today’s wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia Pacific a top priority,” said Mr Obama. “The United States is a Pacific power and we are here to stay.”
He was speaking a day after he formally announced 2,500 US marines would be based in northern Australia next year, along with more aircraft and naval vessels, providing the American military with a new platform for intervening in the region. “We are deepening our alliance and this is the perfect place to do it,” he said later in the day in Darwin.
While the Pentagon is planning at least $450bn of spending cuts over the next decade, Mr Obama said Asia would be exempt from such pressures: “Reductions in US defence spending will not – I repeat, will not – come at the expense of the Asia Pacific. We will preserve our unique ability to project power and preserve peace.”
The new agreement with Australia was criticised by Chinese officials, who fear that the US is bent on trying to contain their country’s rise.
“It may not be quite appropriate to intensify and expand military alliances and may not be in the interest of countries within this region,” Liu Weimin, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said.
Mr Obama used a regional summit last weekend in Hawaii to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade pact that at the moment does not include China. It is expected that he will use another regional summit this weekend in Indonesia to raise the issue of maritime security in the South China Sea, despite Beijing’s opposition.
During his first year in office, Mr Obama sought to avoid confrontation with China and even appeared to offer a strong partnership with Beijing to manage a host of global issues.
However, over the past year his administration has appeared increasingly sceptical about China’s ambitions. Unnerved by what some see as more aggressive behaviour by China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and several other countries have encouraged the US to increase its engagement with the region.
Mr Obama said Washington was not looking to contain China and hoped to improve collaboration with the People’s Liberation Army.
“We’ll seek more opportunities for co-operation with Beijing, including greater communication between our militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation,” he said. “All our nations have a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China.”
By Geoff Dyer
18 November 2011
@ Financial Times