US to keep key role in regional security: Cuisia

From ABS-CBN (Feb 15): US to keep key role in regional security: Cuisia

For the Philippines, the US-ASEAN Summit in California this week is a signal that the US will keep its key role in maintaining regional security amid maritime disputes.

This, even if the United States has repeatedly stated that this summit won’t be all about China.
Speaking ahead of the Summit in Sunnylands, Rancho Mirage California, US Ambassador Jose L Cuisia said the summit is an opportunity for leaders of the ASEAN and the US to have candid conversations about issues of mutual concern.

"It is an important step for the leaders to substantiate their strategic partnership between the US and ASEAN. More to the point, the summit underscores the central role of ASEAN in ensuring stability and prosperity in the region," he said.

Cuisia said that as a member of ASEAN, the Philippines appreciates the significance of the summit in the development of a regional framework.

"It is our firm belief that the US must continue to play a key role in ensuring the regional security architecture for the 21st century. This summit reaffirms the commitment of the US to continue playing such a key role.”

China has been locked in heated maritime disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam after China started to maintain structures in waters claimed by either country. ASEAN, which also counts countries close to China as allies, has failed to come up with a code of conduct concerning the disputed waters.

Last week, two State Department Officials maintained in a state department briefing that this US-ASEAN Summit is not going to be about China. This is the first summit between the US and ASEAN after both sides elevated their relationship to strategic partnership level.

Daniel R. Russel, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said: "There are questions on the minds of the ASEAN leaders, of all of the leaders: What are the implications of the economic slowdown in China? Sort of what should we expect, what’s going on in terms of China’s behavior in the South China Sea? But at the same time, each of us – all 11 of us – have tremendously important and multifaceted relationships with China.

"None of that alters the fact that the focus of this summit is on what the U.S. and ASEAN can achieve together for the benefit of our citizens, as well as the region and the world.”

Russel added: "I think it’s safe to say that we have no secrets from China when it comes to our views about the South China Sea and the way forward. We believe that the way forward has to include a mix of restraint, of respect for neighbors, of respect for international law."

"It has to build on the commitments that have been made already through the Declaration of Conduct [on the South China Sea], for example. It has to be rooted in common sense that you can’t insist that something is indisputable if it is the subject of hot dispute with your next door neighbor. It’s built on the recognition that the long-term interests of the region argue for peaceful and collaborative ways to either resolve or to set aside sovereignty disputes and to clarify claims and to proceed in finding ways to share the maritime space that are both consistent with international law and acceptable to the other parties."

Daniel Kritenbrink, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs also said: "I just wanted to underscore Assistant Secretary Russel’s message again. This summit is not about China. This summit is about the United States and ASEAN and our increasingly broad and deep strategic partnership."

Kritenbrink said it was the first time that the US President is hosting ASEAN leaders for this kind of stand-alone summit.

He said the summit builds on the momentum of the new US-ASEAN Strategic Partnership announced last November in Kuala Lumpur.

The program for the summit comprises three main elements: first, a retreat session on economic issues; a working dinner; and then, a retreat session on political and security issues.

The economic session will highlight the strength of US-ASEAN economic relations and identify ways to encourage even more trade and investment by focusing on the themes of innovation and entrepreneurship.

"It's also an opportunity to exchange vies on the types of policy reforms that we believe are needed to promote further growth and integration," Kritenbrink said.

The official said the dinner session at Sunnylands is "designed to be more informal so as to give the leaders an opportunity to share their perspectives on broader strategic developments."

"I expect the President will take this opportunity at the dinner to stress the United States' enduring commitment to the region as well as to stress the importance of good governance, accountable institutions, and the rule of law," he said.

The political and security session will focus on ways to enhance cooperation on the major strategic and transnational challenges confronting the region including maritime disputes, terrorism, trafficking in persons, pandemic disease, and climate change.

The summit will also serve as an opportunity for the United States to strengthen people-to-people ties with the region, including through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative or YSEALI.

"The Sunnylands summit represents our commitment to the President’s rebalance strategy to the Asia Pacific. With nearly half the Earth’s population, one-third of global GDP, and some of the world’s most capable militaries, the Asia Pacific is increasingly the world’s political and economic center of gravity," he said.

Kritenbrink added, the Sunnylands summit highlights the importance of the ASEAN countries to the United States and also highlights the depth and breadth of the relationship.

ECONOMIC TIES BOOMING

Kritenbrink also points out that US economic ties with Southeast Asia are booming.
"We have a quarter-trillion-dollar trade relationship with the countries of ASEAN, and it has increased 55 percent since 2009. The ASEAN region is now the fourth largest goods export market for the United States. The U.S. is the largest investor in ASEAN with more than 226 billion in foreign direct investment. This trade and investment supports more than 370,000 jobs in the United States," he said.

He said ASEAN is also an increasingly important partner in addressing regional and global challenges from maritime disputes to climate change, pandemic disease, to violent extremism, as well as sustainable development and trafficking in persons.

"As reflected by our new strategic partnership, U.S.-ASEAN relations have never been better, but we’re not going to rest on our laurels. Cooperating together, we can address shared challenges, take advantage of shared opportunities to ensure peace and prosperity for our children and our grandchildren. I’m confident that the U.S.-ASEAN Summit at Sunnylands will make an historic contribution to that end," Kritenbrink said.

Russel explained why this matters to the US: "America’s economic future is so closely linked to the growth of this extraordinarily dynamic region; number two, that our own security is directly affected by developments there, and our alliances and our security partnerships are what has served to stabilize the region against a backdrop of uncertainty; and third, because we benefit. We all benefit from a rules-based order that is rooted in principles of fairness, principles of respect for international law and universal rights.

"In economic terms, the leaders are building on the great work that has been done in reaching an agreement on TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership], building on the formation this year of the ASEAN Economic Community, building on the landmark COP21 Paris agreement on climate change, building on the many entrepreneurship initiatives that we’ve pursued with ASEAN and in Southeast Asia, building on our good government – governance programs, building on the very extensive private sector engagement and the fantastic people-to-people programs that Dan mentioned, YSEALI being at the top of the list.

“In security terms, all of the leaders are contending with the threat posed by ISIL, the threat of returning foreign terrorist fighters; the effort to refute the insidious propaganda of violent extremism and block the recruitment, especially among Southeast Asian youth; dealing with the effects of global warming in terms of disasters and rising sea levels; dealing with the scourge of human trafficking; and, of course, dealing with the very serious challenges to maritime security, particularly in the South China Sea.”

Russel said the summit will not be a formal summit.

"It is an informal summit. It is not one hour of meetings sandwiched in between a series of other meetings, which is the norm on the margins of the East Asia Summit hosted in the region. It’s not an hour, it’s a day. That’s pretty significant. It is not a laboriously negotiated, strict, by-the-Roman-numerals agenda. It is an open discussion among the leaders," he said.

“It also means that the leaders aren’t wedded to the traditional or the conventional formats when it comes to communiques and outcomes and deliverables and so on. They have some latitude. It’s a personal engagement and it’s built on the personal relationships that have been forged over the last seven-plus years, including and particularly between President Obama and the other leaders, between Secretary [John] Kerry and his counterparts and many of the leaders, and built on the strong foundation of the people-to-people connections that both Dan and I have talked about.”

Russel said the summit in Sunnylands provides the leaders an opportunity to do something that they can’t easily otherwise do, which is to spend some time talking through the set of issues.

"What’s at stake here? What are the issues in the South China Sea? What’s relevant to all of us? We’re not a claimant, as I mentioned. Six of the 10 ASEAN countries are not claimants. What is it that we have in common? What is it that we have at stake? What is it that we’re trying to encourage? What is it that we’re trying to prevent? This is an opportunity for a real discussion. Unlike a standard summit or an East Asia Summit, there’s no particular pressure to find the precise formula in a communique that’s going to send a signal. The leaders get to have their own discussion and decide what public signals they will put forward through their press conferences or other means.”
Cuisia told media that the Philippines intends to be a reliable and responsible ally.

"In the political field, our two countries continue to work closely together through bilateral, regional, and global frameworks to address issues of common concern. Just last month, the US and the Philippines convened the ministerial dialogue and we reaffirmed our commitment—that’s both sides—reaffirmed our commitment to jointly address maritime security, climate change, and violent extremism, among others. Our defense and security arrangement has never been stronger and nor more focused,” he said.

Cuisia added: "There is general consensus among Philippine and US officials that our bilateral relations have never been better. As we mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-US relations, we highlight the durability, comprehensiveness, and dynamism of our ties. We have always been supportive of the rebalance to Asia-Pacific policy of the United States as it is an opportunity to deepen further our alliance in various areas of cooperation.

"The recent approval of the EDCA [Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement] will further strengthen our alliance and this will help us in expanding further our capability and it will also help us in our defense modernization efforts."

Aside from regional security, Obama and the ASEAN leaders will also discuss other matters.
"This summit is a special summit as a follow up of the elevation of the ASEAN-US Dialogue Relations into a strategic partnership last November. As you know, this was signed last November. It will focus on expanding cooperation and to advance regional peace and security, as well as progress of the ASEAN region. There will be discussions on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the ASEAN Economic Community, and there will be an exchange of ideas on the regional strategic context,” Cuisia said.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/02/15/16/us-to-keep-key-role-in-regional-security-cuisia