U.S. Diplomatic, Economic and Security Engagement with the Asia-Pacific Continues

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has just returned from his second visit to Asia, only two months after partaking in the Shangri La Dialogue back in June, and his second visit to Asia in six months since becoming secretary of defense. Acknowledging the immense human suffering and tragedy that continues to unfold in Syria and the very real possibility that the U.S. military could take action in response to use of chemical weapons—all reports point to Bashar Assad’s regime—it is still expected that Secretary Hagel will return to Asia once again this year.

The main purpose of this visit was to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers Plus—the 10 ASEAN defense ministers and their colleagues from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia—meeting in Brunei on August 29 and the U.S.-ASEAN defense ministers meeting the day before. Both conferences were an ideal opportunity for Secretary Hagel to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and others including Myanmar and China. It has already been decided that next year Secretary Hagel will meet with his ASEAN defense counterparts in Hawai’i, and one could wonder if Hawai’i will become a more frequent venue for more U.S.-Asia interactions in the future, as was the case in 2011 with APEC.

Hagel’s itinerary included a stop at PACOM in Hawai’i, then to Malaysia and Indonesia, onto Brunei followed by a visit to the Philippines, an ally of the United States in Asia. Philippine Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista visited the Pentagon August 22 where he met with General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This all comes at a time when the United States and Philippines are discussing the possibility of the U.S. military expanding their presence in the Philippines as the country seeks to modernize its military capacity.

Addressing U.S. Marines in Hawai’i, Secretary Hagel explained that he seeks “to promote our interests in stability and friendship and partnership in this part of the world.” This is a point that Hagel made when he met with Chinese Minister of National Defense General Chang Wanquan on Monday, August 19, at the Pentagon and where he stated “The China-U.S. relationship is important for stability and security in the Asia Pacific and achieving security and prosperity for our two nations in the 21st century.” It is a welcome sign that the United States and China continue these high level engagements, and while differences—cyber security and concerns over festering territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China China are just two—clearly exist, the fact that there is high level interaction between leaders is a positive sign in itself. The next day Secretary Hagel met with Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, ahead of Indian Prime Minister Singh’s visit to Washington in September, and at a time when the United States and India recognize that closer relations between the two countries is a potential win-win for both, but just how close remains to be seen.

In addition to Hagel’s visit to Asia, USTR Ambassador Michael Froman has just completed a visit to Brunei for the 19^th round of the Tran-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, a comprehensive trade agreement with eleven Asia-Pacific countries that has the end goal of binding economies of the region even closer together.

Speaking at Malaysia’s Institute of Defense and Security Secretary Hagel explained that  “…because America recognizes that its future will be even more connected to this part of the world, we are rebalancing the weight of our global diplomatic, economic and security engagement toward the Asia Pacific.” In the same speech he elaborated, “Together, the United States and all the nations of this region are defining a new future, one where we embrace the obligation to conduct ourselves responsibly and identify ways to work together to solve common challenges.  In that spirit of cooperation, we can ensure that the peace and prosperity that this region has so far experienced will continue into the future.”

During his trip to Indonesia it was announced that the U.S. will continue to engage with Asian militaries through the State Department’s International Military Education and Training (IMET) program which finances training and education for students from allied and friendly countries. It was also announced that the U.S. will sell six Apache helicopters to the Indonesian military as the bilateral military relationship continues to develop.

Some may comment that Secretary of State John Kerry has been preoccupied with events in the Middle East, however that in no means should be taken an interpretation that the United States is not engaged with Asia. Looking ahead, President Obama will be going to the region—most likely accompanied by Secretary Kerry—to attend the East Asia Summit in October, and newly appointed Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russell can be expected to visit the region soon. No doubt other cabinet secretaries will also be going to the region this year, as will Secretary Hagel as noted above.

The message is clear, the United States remains very focused on the Asia-Pacific and continues to engage with every state throughout the region in upholding peace and prosperity for all and U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific/Asia-Indo region are extremely clear: Principles of free trade, free access, free commerce, and peaceful resolution of disputes.

Ending with Syria, a quote from Albert Einstein comes to mind: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” Einstein also has another quote that is applicable to Syria: “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

Damien Tomkins is Project Assistant at the East-West Center office in Washington, D.C. where he contributes research and content to the Asia Matters for America initiative and coordinates the Asia Pacific Bulletin publication series. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and not of any organization with which he is affiliated.