Shangri-La Dialogue Ends Extraordinary Meeting

By wendell minnick
Published: 2 Jun 16:36 EDT (12:36 GMT)

SINGAPORE - A regional agreement for dealing with natural disasters underscored the ascension of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the 7th annual edition of which was held here May 30-June 1, to a leading position in discussions of Asia-Pacific security.

Sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), this year's Dialogue featured defense ministers and secretaries from Australia, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Run by the nongovernmental IISS, the Dialogue is an unusual place to find top-tier decision-makers.

"The conference in effect functions as a security institution and has helped shape the regional strategic debate," said Nigel Inkster, director of Transnational Threats and Political Risk, IISS. "An example of the kind of outcomes it can produce is the decision yesterday by regional defense ministers to agree to some principles for dealing with natural disasters."

Largely a reaction to the Myanmar government's slack response to the recent flooding, the agreement include three principles: that the state government should react quickly and responsibly to a natural disaster within its borders; that the state should allow the foreign humanitarian aid to enter where and when needed; and that the state affected should have control over and supervision of incoming aid.

"At this Shangri-La we have brought together the largest group ever, with more ministers from more countries than before," said John Chipman, IISS director-general and chief executive. "At past Shangri-La Dialogues, for example, new intergovernmental arrangements for maritime security in the Malacca Straits have been agreed, and the conditions for the establishment of a hotline between the U.S. Pentagon and the Chinese government," he said.

Speeches were made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates; U.S. Sen. Joseph Liberman; Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the Chinese deputy chief of the General Staff, People's Liberation Army; South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-Hee; U.S. Adm. Timothy Keating, commander, Pacific Command; Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono; Col. Gen. Pran Trung Kien, Vietnam deputy minister of defense; Japan Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba; and Maj. Gen. Aye Myint, Myanmar deputy minister of defense.

Richard Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, presented a paper on strategies for resolving proliferation challenges; Yu Hong, counselor and director, Department of Asian Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talked about maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific; and M.M. Pallam Raju, Indian minister of state for defense, discussed defense policy formulation.

"This event has no peer in Asia," said Gates. "We all make time to come here because the Dialogue offers an unbeatable mix: cutting-edge topics, world-renowned experts, and senior security officials working together for three days."

On June 1, Singapore Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean discussed how the Dialogue has shaped perceptions and behavior.

"Over the years, the Shangri-La Dialogue has facilitated discussions on specific issues such as maritime security in the Malacca Strait over a number of meetings, leading to a consensus over a set of common principles and the successful 'Eyes in the Sky' initiative for combined maritime air patrols," said Teo.

Teo met with defense leaders and officials from 24 countries on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, including Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, Malaysian deputy prime minister and minister of defense; French Defense Minister Hervé Morin; Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama; Mongolian Defense Minister Jamiyandorj Batkhuyag; and Gates.

The future U.S. role was a matter of discussion at the Dialogue. Gates stated the next administration would no doubt face the same issues and pursue the same goals present and past White House administrations have pursued.

"While I cannot predict the specifics of a new president's Asia policy, certain elements can already be discerned above and beyond the time-tested principles of strategic access, freedom of commerce and navigation, and freedom from domination by any hegemonic force or coalition," said Gates.

"The next U.S. administration seems certain to continue the overlapping, long-standing, security partnerships I outlined. It will also inherit an agenda of especially worrying issues," he said. "This means no change in our drive to temper North Korea's ambitions, a policy not possible without China's valued cooperation. Beyond this center stage issue, I suspect that the new administration will also find strategic inspiration in America's dual role - as a resident power and as the 'straddle power' across the Pacific."

The next U.S. administration was noted in the keynote address, given by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who sees some continuation of issues, but also sees new challenges and uncertainties.

"Singapore has no votes, but we have our wish list," he said.

The wish list includes continued U.S. commitment to globalization, free trade and international rules; pursuing constructive relations with China; actively cultivating its diverse interests in the Asia Pacific, especially in Southeast Asia; remaining steadfast in the fight against terrorism; and taking a long-term approach toward Iraq and Afghanistan.

"America's role is especially crucial in engaging a rising Asia and integrating it into the global system. The emerging powers in Asia should have greater stakes in the existing international order," said Lee.

Scramble for Asian resources raises fears

By Raphael Minder in Singapore and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: June 1 2008 23:33

Energy-hungry Asian countries could increase military tensions as they struggle to secure more natural resources, according to the commander of US forces in the region.

Admiral Timothy J. Keating, who heads the US Pacific command, described the scramble for energy assets, particularly in the disputed South China Sea, as “a concern”.

He told the Financial Times: “We want to make sure that countries that might have an interest in, let us say, the South China Sea understand that there are written and unwritten rules. You can’t just go out there, beat your chest and say ‘I hereby claim this’.”

Until recently, much of the area’s reserves were considered too hard and costly to access. Improved technology and surging oil prices are making more projects commercially viable.

China, Vietnam and the Philippines are among a handful of countries with conflicting claims in the South China Sea.

Two weeks ago Gazprom, the Russian group, signed an agreement with Petro-vietnam, the state oil and gas company, to develop four new deposits on the Vietnamese shelf.

Adm Keating said it was essential “to work together to eliminate the possibility for confusion, for confrontation and then crisis” and recognise the need to balance diverging priorities. “There are interests that are purely commercial and there are interests that are military so it can’t just be might making right,” he said.

Echoing those worries, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, reminded participants at a weekend Asian security summit that prosperity in the region had depended on “international norms and a common responsibility to protect common resources, even while pursuing individual agendas”.

The conference also heard warnings about piracy and the need to secure sea lanes used to import oil from Africa and the Middle East.

The Asia-Pacific region now consumes almost three times more oil than the 8.5m barrels that it produces daily, according to Pertamina, the state oil company of Indonesia, whose reliance on imports has led it to leave Opec.

“We are talking about securing oil in regions far from here, including the Middle East, and bringing it through sea channels that are more and more congested,” said Widhyawan Prawiraatmadja, senior vice-president for Pertamina.

Asian attention has in recent years focused on guaranteeing traffic through the 800km Strait of Malacca between peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. However, much of the oil that China is importing from southern Africa is transiting the deeper Strait of Lombok, further east in Indonesian waters.

Meanwhile, China has been funding civilian port projects in countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka, raising eyebrows in India. “It is intriguing to see this [Chinese] concentration on maritime infrastructure,” Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan of the Indian navy told the FT. “There is also room for international co-operation to keep an eye on Lombok.”

Leading the Chinese delegation, Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian said Beijing would continue to rely on the relevant countries to guarantee sea lanes and combat piracy. But he added: “We do need to have security for our needs in natural resources and that is a long-term worry.”

Ex-navigator saw no crash danger

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The former chief navigator of the Aegis-equipped destroyer Atago told a former weapons officer that there was "no danger of collision" when turning over duties, according to sources close to an investigation into the Feb. 19 collision between the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and a fishing boat.

The 35-year-old former chief navigator also told investigators of the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters that he had failed to use a gyro repeater, a device used to calculate the positions of the Atago and other ships, the sources said.

Photo: Wreckage of the Seitoku Maru

The investigators suspect the chief navigator's insufficient vigilance led him to turn over the work to other duty officers inappropriately, which eventually led to a failure to take action to avert the collision with the fishing boat Seitoku Maru, they said.

According to the sources, the former chief navigator spotted a convoy of fishing boats, including the Seitoku Maru, several kilometers off the starboard bow at about 3:50 a.m. on Feb. 19.

The former chief navigator was quoted as saying, "When I checked visually, the convoy of fishing boats seemed to be cruising at a low speed and moving away, so I judged it would pass behind the Atago."

The former chief navigator failed to continue monitoring the movements of the convoy and turned over duties to the weapons officer at 4 a.m.

Photo: Wreckage of the Seitoku Maru

The former chief navigator said he used radar, but admitted he did not use a gyro repeater at that time, the sources said.

A gyro repeater enables navigators to accurately calculate the positions of their ships and the angle of other ships spotted visually. This allows estimates on the risk of collision.

The public relations section of the MSDF's Staff Office says monitoring nearby ships with the use of a gyro repeater is a common practice. The accuracy and reliability of radar can vary with meteorological conditions, and waves can cause radar to sometimes fail to detect small ships.

"It's out of the question for [navigators] conduct surveillance operations with only radar," an officer of the section said.

The investigators said they also examined the Global Positioning Systems of the Seitoku Maru's fellow boats to analyze the course of the ships. The analysis showed that the convoy was on a collision course with the Atago unless it changed its course and speed, according to the sources. At 4 a.m., the Koun Maru, which was in front of the convoy, took evasive action.

The regional headquarters therefore believes if the former chief navigator had conducted surveillance duties in the proper manner, such as by using a gyro repeater, he could have taken action to prevent the accident and alert the weapons officer of the danger of a collision.

The regional headquarters reportedly is investigating the two on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and endangering sea traffic. It also is questioning the crew members who were on lookout duty in the combat information center (CIC) on the Atago's bridge on suspicion that they failed to spot the Seitoku Maru.

The regional headquarters plans to send the case to prosecutors, probably this month, the sources said.

A special investigation team of the Maritime Accident Investigator's Office plans to ask the Yokohama Marine Accident Inquiry Agency early this month to begin proceedings, they added.

According to the sources, the regional headquarters plans to name four people--Ken Funato, 53, who was captain of the Atago at that time, the then weapons officer, 34, the then chief navigator and another 43-year-old senior officer who was in charge of the CIC--and the MSDF's 63rd convoy as designated figures concerned with the cause of the accident.

(Jun. 2, 2008)

Ozawa confident of ending LDP rule

By David Pilling and Lionel Barber in Tokyo
Published: June 1 2008 19:50

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Japan’s main opposition party, says he is confident the Liberal Democratic party can be swept from office this year, ending its half-century domination of power.

In an exclusive interview with the Financial Times, the veteran politician who led his Democratic Party of Japan to a stunning victory in upper house elections in September said it was only a matter of time before he completed the destruction of the ruling party he once belonged to.

Photo: Yukio Hatoyama secretary general of the Democratic Party introduces a new poster at the party headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district.

“The opposition party will take over power, which means the LDP will collapse and dissolve,” he predicted, rejecting the alternative idea of a cross-party political realignment as implausible and insufficient. “They are already so corrupt and rotten with the power that they have held on to for so long.”

Opinion polls show support for Yasuo Fukuda, prime minister, in the low 20s, similar to levels that saw off Shinzo Abe, his short-lived predecessor. Recent polls indicate more voters now back the opposition than the ruling party. Even senior LDP politicians have told the FT they fear losing a general election, which must be held by September 2009.

Mr Ozawa grabbed the upper house last year by winning over traditional LDP voters in the countryside who blame the ruling party for declining rural fortunes. The electoral humiliation hastened the end of Mr Abe’s administration, since when Mr Ozawa has used the upper house majority to block Mr Fukuda’s legislative agenda.

Mr Ozawa, 66, said he did not need to become prime minister to fulfil his career-long ambition of creating a viable two-party system. He would not even confirm his intention of running again for his party’s leadership, which comes up for renewal in the autumn.

“As long as there is someone else that can take up the leadership and win the election, it does not have to be me,” he said.

“My only goal is that tomorrow’s opposition party takes over the ruling position and that a genuine parliamentary democracy takes root.”

He left open the possibility of leading his party into elections, which he predicted would be this year. But in a phrase that suggested he was inclined to be kingmaker rather than a direct wielder of power, he said: “If I happen to be the party head and if we do win the elections, then I shall have to be prime minister.”

Mr Ozawa denied his party was ideologically divided. “There is a fundamental different way of thinking between the two parties,” he said. “The bottom line is: the DPJ is far more coherent in where it stands.”

The DPJ has campaigned on breaking what it says are the corrupt links between politicians and the bureaucracy and on fixing the social security system.

Mr Ozawa has also championed an international role for Japan more independent from the US and responsive to the United Nations. He vehemently opposed Japan’s support for the US in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Protest CVN George Washington

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June 01, 2008

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Protest CVN George Washington



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China defends military buildup

By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 1, 2008

Responding to veiled U.S. criticism, a senior Chinese general at a Singapore security conference says Beijing's defense spending is solely for self-defense and is in line with that of other nations.

SINGAPORE -- A senior Chinese general insisted Saturday that Beijing's military buildup was solely for self-defense, as he sought to assure a gathering of Asian defense officials that China was not seeking to dominate the region.

Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the People's Liberation Army deputy chief of the general staff, pointedly said that any instability in Asia was being caused by countries seeking to expand regional military alliances and develop missile-defense systems -- a clear reference to U.S. aims in the Pacific.

Photo: Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, the People's Liberation Army deputy chief of the general staff, left, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to a Singapore security conference. Ma defended China’s military buildup, contending that the measure is for self-defense.

"It is imperative China's armed forces keep up with this tide of world military development," Ma said. "China's growing economy and fiscal revenue make the defense budget increase both a logical and imperative reality."

He added: "China is a peace-loving country and its people are a peace-loving people. Notwithstanding the vicissitudes of the international situation, China will always adopt a defensive military policy."

Ma's remarks echoed assertions made by other Chinese leaders in recent months. But by delivering them at a major annual conference shortly after a keynote address by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Ma appeared to be seeking to directly refute long-standing U.S. criticisms on a high-profile international stage, a rarity for Chinese military leaders.

China only last year began sending senior military leaders to the annual Singapore security conference after repeated requests by the U.S. and other allies, who argued it was an important forum for discussions with wary neighbors.

Ma used the podium to make an almost point-by-point refutation of Gates' address, in which the U.S. Defense chief implied that China's secretive military buildup could lead to a regional arms race.

Ma said China's increasing defense spending was needed to keep up with military advances made by other governments and was no different from that of other rapidly growing countries that have used newfound prosperity to invest in weaponry.

A senior U.S. Defense official traveling with Gates said Ma did not bring up Pentagon criticisms of China's defense spending during a 15-minute private meeting with Gates later in the day.

"There was no pushback from Gen. Ma," the official said, adding that in previous meetings, the United States has tried to assure Beijing that its missile-defense partnership with Japan was aimed at North Korea, not China.

Despite Ma's public refutation of U.S. criticisms, American officials said they were pleased that China was participating in the debate on the issues, calling it a sign that Beijing was gradually acknowledging international concerns.

"What they're quibbling over is how much they're complying with the norm," the senior U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "That's a very different thing than saying it's none of your business, which is what they used to say."

peter.spiegel@latimes.com

Japan calls on US to be transparent

Updated Sun Jun 1, 2008 12:31pm AEST

Japan is calling on the US to be transparent when calculating the cost Tokyo would have to bear for the relocation of 8 thousand U.S. Marines from its Okinawa Prefecture to Guam.

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Japan needs to know how Washington estimates the costs involved so that Tokyo can fulfill its accountability.

Japan and the US have agreed that Tokyo will shoulder up to 6 million dollars of the estimated 10.3 million needed to build various infrastructures like schools and water supply in Guam for the Marines.

But Japan's opposition parties say the U.S. calculation is too high.