Cohen Committed to Asian-Pacific Stability

 

 By Jim Garamone
 
American Forces Press Service


 WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2000 -- The United States is 
 committed to the Asia-Pacific region and will remain 
 engaged in helping solve the region's problems, Defense 
 Secretary William S. Cohen told Pacific allies during his 
 recent nine-day trip to the region.
 
 Cohen broached the idea of more multilateral exercises in 
 the region, saying the exercises would not take away from 
 bilateral ties. Cohen spoke about the trip to members of 
 the Japanese Diet Sept. 22.
 
 During a stop in Jakarta, Indonesia, Cohen also delivered a 
 strong message to the country’s leaders to disarm and 
 disband militias terrorizing the island of Timor. He also 
 visited the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Korea. 
 
 At the center of Cohen’s trip was the idea he called the 
 "virtuous circle." 
 
 “Where there is security and stability, then investment 
 flows,” he said to the lawmakers. “If we have investment 
 flowing in, then we have a chance to produce prosperity. 
 Prosperity in turn promotes more security and further 
 democracy. The moment there is an area of insecurity, 
 investment flows out. Then you have all the social problems 
 that are attendant to that.”
 
 U.S. presence in the region helps guarantee the virtuous 
 circle will work. Cohen said political, economic and 
 security ties bind the United States to the region. “These 
 will remain steadfast for the foreseeable future,” he said. 
 “On political engagement, the simple fact is that the 
 United States is a Pacific nation. Our national interests 
 in the region are great and they are growing.
 
 “One practical implication of our interest is clear: A 
 peaceful constructive engagement with China is necessary 
 for China to become a responsible member of the 
 international community.”
 
 Part of Cohen’s mission to the Pacific was to lay to rest 
 the notion that the United States, in working with the 
 other nations in the region, is somehow trying to contain 
 China. 
 
 “Everyone should understand that China cannot be 
 contained,” he said. “That is not our policy. Our goal is 
 to engage China as it grows, as it becomes more open, and 
 to encourage it to play a constructive role in regional 
 stability.”
 
 Cohen emphasized that the basis for U.S. engagement with 
 China is a sound relationship with Japan. “Even as we seek 
 better relationships with China, that in no way will result 
 in the reduction of our relationship with Japan,” he said. 
 “Our security relationship is anchored with Japan.” A 
 strong U.S.-Japan relationship also gives both Japan and 
 the United States leverage in establishing a strong 
 relationship with China, he remarked.
 
 Cohen said U.S. engagement with China is back on track 
 following the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in 
 Belgrade, Yugoslavia, during Operation Allied Force last 
 year. He said military-to-military contacts have been 
 revived and that Chinese and American ship visits have 
 restarted.
 
 Indonesia poses another major concern for the United States 
 and all Asians. Indonesia is a strategically important 
 country with the fourth largest population in the world. It 
 is the world’s largest Muslim country and sits astride 
 vital sea lines linking the Pacific and Indian oceans. 
 
 “Indonesia is a nation that has taken huge steps in the 
 last two years to democratize, but it still faces major 
 political, economic and security problems,” Cohen said. He 
 told the lawmakers of his meetings with Indonesian leaders. 
 He said he expressed U.S. support for the transition to 
 democratic rule in Indonesia. The United States does not 
 want to see Indonesia break up. 
 
 “Of most concern to us is what is taking place in East 
 Timor,” he said. He said militias possibly supported by 
 elements in the active or retired Indonesian military come 
 from West Timor to wage conflict in East Timor. “This 
 cannot be allowed to continue, particularly after the 
 Indonesian government had given a security guarantee to 
 U.N. staff workers bringing humanitarian aid to East 
 Timor,” he said.
 
 A militia force killed three U.N. aid workers Sept. 6. 
 “That is the reason the U.N. Security Council passed a 
 resolution calling on the Indonesian government to disarm 
 and disband the militias and bring (the killers) to 
 justice,” Cohen said. The international community could 
 react to perceived Indonesian indolence by cutting off 
 economic aid and military-to-military contacts, he warned. 
 
 U.S. force levels in the region will probably remain 
 constant for the time being, Cohen said. “We will continue 
 to be a stabilizing force in the region,” he said. “Several 
 nations with large militaries and histories of regional 
 conflict and rivalry mandate that we have such a presence. 
 That’s why our presence is so vital not only in Japan, but 
 on the Korean Peninsula.”
 
 In Korea, Cohen met with South Korean President Kim Dae-
 jung. Kim met with North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il in 
 June and started a process that might lessen tensions on 
 the peninsula. In some quarters, this has led to a call for 
 fewer U.S. troops in Korea. 
 
 “[Kim] is fully aware that the United States must maintain 
 a presence on the Korean Peninsula even if there is some 
 reconciliation,” Cohen said. “He said Kim Jong-il in North 
 Korea also agreed that would be the case.”
 
 If the United States were to reduce or remove its presence, 
 “then someone would want to fill the vacuum. And soon you 
 would have some nation vying to be the new power source in 
 the region, which would probably mean an arms race. There 
 would probably be more tension, and there could be in fact 
 the prospect of conflict.”
 
 Cohen said all the countries he visited want the United 
 States to maintain its presence in the region. He cited 
 Singapore's building a huge pier at Changi Naval Base to 
 accommodate U.S. aircraft carriers and the good bilateral 
 relations the United States has with the Philippines and 
 with Thailand. 
 
 “We are committed to a forward-deployed posture to the 
 extent that our host countries want,” he said. “We are here 
 at your sufferance. We do not go anywhere we are not 
 wanted. Fortunately, the leadership of the countries 
 understand we are not seeking territory; we have not come 
 to conquer anyone. We are trying to create an environment 
 of stability.”
 
 

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