Most Asian countries see China's military build-up not as a
threat to regional security, though America and Japan have
expressed concerns about it, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong said in Singapore last night.
Lee made the remarks while delivering a keynote address at the
opening reception for the sixth Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual Asia
security conference.
The three-day conference, organized by the London-based
International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), attracted
some 26 official government delegations led by defense ministers or
senior officials from the Asia-Pacific region, North America and
Europe.
Lee said that Washington and Tokyo are worried about China's
military build-up, and seek more information on China's defense
spending and intentions.
But most Asian countries see China's actions not as a threat to
regional security, but as a specific response to the cross-straits
situation, he added.
"Of course, China would eventually want its armed forces to be
equal in technology and capabilities to other world powers. But for
the time being it is content to develop deterrent capability that
is asymmetrical," Lee said.
"China's strategic weight and rapid transformation continues to
be felt all over the world," said Lee, adding that "It is opening
up and becoming more integrated with the world."
He spoke highly of China's strategy to emphasize peaceful
emergence and integration into the community of nations, saying "it
has pursued broad-based cooperation with the rest of the world,
improved relations with Japan, and participated constructively in
the Six-Party Talks."
Within the region, he said, China is skillfully deploying its
soft power, and cultivating its neighbors in a coordinated,
strategic way.
"China participates actively in regional forums, provides
technical assistance, and promotes trade and people-to-people
linkages," he said, adding that "all Asian countries welcome these
warm ties with China."
He said he believed that the strategic environment in Asia
remains favorable and that relations between major powers continue
to be constructive.
He also pointed out that America continues to play a vital role
in Asia's stability and prosperity, while China, Japan and India
also play leadership roles within the region.
On regional cooperation, he pointed out that "one challenge for
Asia is to develop the right framework for regional cooperation,
within which countries can deepen cooperation, discuss sensitive
issues, and contain and manage friction so as to ensure a stable
environment in Asia for the benefit of all."
Besides the existing forums and groupings in the region, such as
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia
Summit (EAS), Lee praised the Shangri-La Dialogue which gathers
leaders and policy makers to address the security challenges facing
the region as an important role in the process of deepening
cooperation.
The annual dialogue has been held at Singapore's Shangri-La
hotel since its inauguration in 2002, aiming to further strengthen
mutual trust between the countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2007)