Panetta leaves for Asia-Pacific trip
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E-mail Xinhua, May 31, 2012
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will meet his counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region and discuss cultivating new partnerships during a nine-day visit to the region.
Panetta was to leave Washington on Wednesday and give a "comprehensive account to partners and everyone in the region what rebalance to Asia-Pacific will mean in practice" during his trip.
His trip was to start in Hawaii, with stops in Singapore, Vietnam and India. Panetta was to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Pentagon officials who briefed reporters anonymously said Panetta was to deliver a major policy speech at the security forum "Focusing on the Asia Pacific, and U.S. role in the Asia-Pacific in light of the new strategy and rebalance."
The United States announced in its new Strategic Guidance in January that the Asia Pacific region will be the center of gravity for its security policies. That's as it tries to maximize its reach and influence in the fast growing region in terms of trade and commerce.
Cultivating new partnership
Panetta is expected to have bilateral and trilateral talks at the Shangri-La forum with his Singaporean and Thai counterparts, officials said.
After attending the Shangri-La forum, Panetta will visit Vietnam and India, new American allies in the region.
In Vietnam, Panetta will meet with his counterpart to discuss "how we move forward" after the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation last year, a senior defense official said.
In India, Panetta will discuss with senior officials a wide range of topics including defense cooperation, a senior defense official said.
South China sea issue
Panetta's trip is described by some as one that's "around China," but an official said the defense secretary welcomes the opportunity to meet Chinese officials at the Shangri-La forum.
Senior defense officials said that the South China Sea issue is sure to feature prominently in discussions.
The South China Sea "will be something that's pretty high on people's mind through this trip," said an official, noting the U.S. will advocate that all disputes in the area should be "resolved through diplomatic means."
Panetta is expected to meet with defense officials from the Philippines during his trip.
The Philippines has been embroiled in a dispute with China after its provocative actions on waters near the Huangyan Island raised tensions, while China has been trying to resolve the standoff through diplomatic consultations.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino will visit the U.S. on June 8, and meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on ties between the two countries and their cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. has said it is willing to deepen its military to military relationship with China.
However, in a speech Tuesday, Panetta said America should be "vigilant" and "strong" as China's military is "growing and modernizing," adding that "the key to peace in that region is to develop a new era of defense cooperation between our two countries."
Earlier, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin said China follows a path of peaceful development, adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and pursues a defense policy which is defensive in nature.
He said China's defense modernization "serves the objective requirements of its national security and development, and it is a positive factor in maintaining regional peace and stability."
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