Jun. 4, 2012 - 09:59AM
| By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The decision to deploy
more ships to the Pacific Ocean and to expand defense partnerships in the
region — announced June 2 by Pentagon chief Leon Panetta — reflects U.S.
concerns over China’s rising economic and military might.
“All parties should make
efforts to safeguard and promote peace, stability and development in the Asia
Pacific,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters in response to a
question on the U.S.
announcement. “The practice of strengthening military deployment and alliances
to give prominence to a military and security agenda is untimely.”
In his speech to the
Shangri-La Dialogue, a major Asia security summit held in Singapore , Panetta insisted the strategy was not
a challenge to Beijing .
He said that “by 2020,
the Navy will re-posture its forces from today’s roughly 50/50 percent split
between the Pacific and the Atlantic to about
a 60/40 split between those oceans.
“That will include six
aircraft carriers in this region, a majority of our cruisers, destroyers,
littoral combat ships and submarines.”
The U.S. also plans to expand military exercises in
the Pacific and to conduct more port visits over a wider area extending to the Indian Ocean .
“We welcome the United States to play a constructive role in the
Asia Pacific region,” Liu said.
He added Beijing hoped the “U.S.
side will respect the interests and concerns of all parties in the Asia
Pacific, including China .”
At the summit, Japan ’s Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister of
Defense Shu Watanabe also expressed concern over China ’s
massive defense spending, saying the lack of transparency in the budget posed a
“threat” to Tokyo .
Liu on June 4 defended China ’s military spending, saying the nation’s
defense policy was transparent and added Beijing
would not seek “hegemony when it is stronger.”
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