In China, Panetta Says American Focus on Asia Is No Threat
Pool photo by Larry Downing
Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta ate lunch with cadets on Wednesday at a People’s Liberation Army academy in Beijing.
By THOM SHANKER and IAN JOHNSON
Published: September 18, 2012 - Klipping The International Herald Tribune
BEIJING — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declared Wednesday that the United States was not trying to contain a rising China, and he emphasized that with patience and effort current tensions between the giant rivals on opposite sides of the Pacific could be resolved.
Related
A Leader in China Reappears in Public (September 15, 2012)
Pool photo by Larry Downing
Mr. Panetta, left, met with China’s presumptive next leader, Vice President Xi Jinping.
Pool photo by Larry Downing
Cadets listened to Mr. Panetta at the Armored Forces Engineering Academy.
Mr. Panetta concluded a three-day visit in Beijing with a high-profile session with China’s presumptive next leader, Vice President Xi Jinping, an encounter that required Mr. Panetta to stay an extra day. He also participated in a discussion with future commanders at a People’s Liberation Army academy.
The meeting with Mr. Xi in the Great Hall of the People was viewed as additional proof that Mr. Xi was clear of whatever physical or political ailments had pushed him from public view for two weeks and had prompted speculation about whether he would ascend to China’s top post. Mr. Xi greeted Mr. Panetta with a vigorous handshake and a broad smile, and he said the meeting “would be very helpful in further advancing” ties between the United States and China.
Mr. Panetta echoed that sentiment. “We are two great Pacific nations with common concerns,” he told Mr. Xi. “We want to begin what you have called a ‘new model’ relationship, and we can begin with better military-to-military relations. I am convinced that we will be able to improve our dialogue.”
According to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, Mr. Xi addressed the heated sovereignty conflict with Japan over several tiny islands, strongly condemning Japan’s purchase of them as “a farce.” Mr. Xi was also quoted as saying to Mr. Panetta, “Japan should rein in its behavior and stop any words and acts that undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
But it appeared that the Chinese and American delegations were more intent on avoiding conflict over their often-competing policies, not arguing about them. For instance, after Mr. Panetta’s meeting Tuesday with the Chinese defense minister, Gen. Liang Guanglie, the general made public comments about the dispute with Japan, threatening Japan with unspecified “further actions,” but made no mention of the fact that the defense secretary of Japan’s closest military ally was standing next to him.
Mr. Panetta reiterated American policy that Washington would take no sides in territorial disputes across the region and was urging all parties to seek a peaceful, negotiated settlement.
Mr. Panetta’s weeklong mission to Japan, China and New Zealand was intended to show allies that the United States’ planned strategic rebalancing toward Asia is a reality, not just talk. But he also was seeking to reassure Beijing that the new American focus on the region, which includes shifting some military resources from others regions to Asia and the Pacific, is not a threat to China.
“Our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region is not an attempt to contain China,” Mr. Panetta said Wednesday in a speech to People’s Liberation Army officers and cadets. “It is an attempt to engage China and expand its role in the Pacific.”
Mr. Panetta said at the Armored Forces Engineering Academy that a Chinese warship would be invited to join a major Pacific exercise hosted by the United States in waters off Hawaii, and he lauded Chinese cooperation in antipiracy missions off the Horn of Africa.
Mr. Xi’s meeting with Mr. Panetta coincided with remarks by a former chief executive of Hong Kong, Tung Chee-hwa, that Mr. Xi’s earlier absence from public view had been tied to a back injury sustained while swimming.
Mr. Xi was not seen in public during the first two weeks of September, giving rise to a variety of rumors: that he had hurt his back, or had a heart attack or was in political trouble. Although Mr. Tung’s comments in a television interview in New York were not official, they were the first on-the-record remarks on the matter by a person close to the Chinese leadership. During Mr. Xi’s absence, Chinese officials refused to comment.
Mr. Panetta was asked to assess Mr. Xi and the intrigue surrounding his absence from public view. “Frankly, my impression was that he was very healthy and very engaged,” Mr. Panetta said during a session with reporters. “I guess you’ll have to ask them what issues were involved here.”
He said Chinese leaders had urged that the American rebalancing in Asia not be solely military, but should include enhanced diplomatic and economic engagement as well.
“These interactions made it clear to me that the leaders of both of our countries are sincerely working toward the same goal: to build a sustained and substantive United States-China defense relationship that supports the broader United States-China cooperative partnership,” Mr. Panetta said. “That is why an essential element of our rebalancing effort is the constructive bilateral relationship with China.” Mr. Panetta said he and his Chinese counterparts had discussed the expanding realm of computer network warfare. The United States has blamed people from China and Russia for many of the recent cyberattacks on American government computer networks.
Despite the friendly official meetings this week, signs of underlying tensions lingered. On Tuesday, the American ambassador’s car was surrounded by protesters, apparently concerned about the island-sovereignty dispute with Japan, as it tried to enter the compound. The car, in which the ambassador, Gary Locke, was riding, was quickly freed by Chinese police officers and entered the embassy.
“It was all over in a matter of minutes,” Mr. Locke told reporters traveling with Mr. Panetta. “I never felt in any danger.”
While in Beijing, Pentagon officials also announced an accord on an issue that has vexed Washington’s relations with Tokyo, where Mr. Panetta visited earlier this week.
Residents on the Japanese island of Okinawa had protested the deployment of the Marine Corps tilt-rotor troop transport called the Osprey, which has had a series of crashes. It had arrived in Okinawa but had been ordered not to fly. That ban has now been lifted and the Ospreys can fly, the officials said. But it was not clear how the deal would affect tensions on Okinawa.
No comments:
Post a Comment