The US Focus on Asia: “Re-balancing” To Work Toward Stability

Published in The Kochi Shimbun
(Japan) on 29 April 2014
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Taylor Cazella. Edited by Brent Landon.
President Obama, who entered Tokyo on the 23rd of this month, will be returning home on the 29th after a scheduled tour of Asia, which includes stops in South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, comes to a close.

The purpose of this recent trip abroad is the reconstruction of the Obama administration’s “policies that focus on Asia,” which span across political, military and economic spheres. After the simultaneous terrorist attacks that occurred in 2001, the U.S. has devoted all of its strength to “the war on terror.” The U.S. dropping its initiative in Asian correspondence precipitated the sudden rise of China.

It is for this reason that these policies focusing on Asia are called a “strategic rebalance.” From a security perspective, the aim is to strengthen the alliance between countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, as well as using the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a turning point for the creation of a new international order.

However, with the Obama administration now in its second term, and its energy being diverted by problems elsewhere — with chaos in Ukraine, peace in Palestine, civil war in Syria — the felt presence of these Asian-centered policies is fading. It was expected for the president to approach the reconstruction of these policies with a strong ambition to see them through.

Japan declared its continued involvement in TPP negotiations with a joint declaration that was released one day behind schedule. Mr. Obama also declared for the first time in his capacity as President, in no uncertain terms, the U.S.’s obligation to protect the Senkaku Islands, as stated in the fifth article of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.

However, looking at it from the United States’ perspective, the dispute over the Senkaku Islands is merely one part of the larger framework for this “strategic rebalance.” This can also be understood by looking at interactions with Malaysia and the Philippines — countries visited on the second half of the tour. Both countries are in the South China Sea, and both countries are currently engaged in territorial disputes with China.

It had been 48 years since the last U.S. presidential visit to Malaysia. Because the U.S. placed them at such a distance, Malaysia now faces difficulties in TPP negotiations, such as in the preservation of state-owned enterprises. Malaysia’s relationship with China runs deep, and they have reached an agreement to seek a settlement to disputes in the South China Sea through legal means.

The new military pact, signed by both the Philippine and U.S. governments, contains provisions for the return of the U.S. military, which had not been present in the Philippines for 22 years, since the complete military withdrawal in 1992. Presently, the U.S. military is able to use all Philippine bases under visiting U.S. military patrol. The felt presence of U.S. military in occupied areas swells to overwhelming levels.

At the Same Time, Nurturing Trust

The new pact, just in implying that the military balance of the region will actually change, will have an incalculable influence.

With the U.S. merely having made a definitive promise to Japan to protect the Senkaku Islands, China rallied sharply in protest. That the new pact would have such an impact was unexpected, and each step taken from here will garner further attention.

The aim of the U.S. is probably to gain some control over China, as they raise conflicts with neighboring countries in the East and South China Seas. However, the return of the U.S. military to the Philippines may very well serve to further raise tensions in East Asia.

In regards to the new pact, President Obama has clearly conveyed the necessity for resolution via dialogue with China over issues such as disputes in the South China Sea, and emphasized that “Our goal is not to contain China.” And using the same words as when he was in Japan, he delivered a message expressing that, “We welcome China’s peaceful rise.”

If that is the case, then the U.S. has a responsibility to make an effort to follow the appeal it made to Japan, to “not merely escalate the conflict, but take measures to nurture mutual trust.”* While strengthening alliances on the one hand, they need to work hard to stabilize the region.

Allied nations, including Japan, cannot contribute to the stabilization of Asia by merely relying on the United States. That would truly be a “rebalance” that brings about sustainable peace and prosperity in Asia. And the president carrying on that challenge following the conclusion of his tour is of the utmost importance.

*Editor’s note: This quotation, while accurately translated, cannot be verified.


【米のアジア重視】「再均衡」の安定に努力を
2014年04月29日08時13分
 今月23日に東京入りした米オバマ大統領は韓国、マレーシアを経てフィリピンを訪問し29日、アジア歴訪の日程を終えて帰国する。
 今回の外遊の目的は、オバマ政権が掲げる政治や軍事、経済分野にわたる「アジア重視政策」を再構築することにある。米国は2001年の中枢同時テロ後、国力を「テロとの戦い」に傾注。アジアへの対応で後手に回り、中国の急速な台頭を招いた。
 その意味でアジア重視政策は「リバランス(バランス調整、再均衡)」と呼ばれる。安全保障面では日韓やオーストラリアなどとの同盟関係を強化し、経済的には環太平洋連携協定(TPP)を軸に、新たな国際秩序づくりを狙う。
 しかし2期目に入ったオバマ政権はシリアの内戦やパレスチナ和平、ウクライナの混乱などに力を取られ、アジア重視政策は存在感が薄れていた。立て直しに向け大統領は強い意欲で臨んだはずだ。
 TPP交渉で日米は、1日遅れの共同声明で交渉継続を発表した。またオバマ氏は、尖閣諸島が日米安全保障条約第5条の適用範囲だと述べ、米大統領として初めて尖閣の防衛義務を明確に表明した。
 しかし米国にとってみれば、尖閣の問題は「リバランス政策」という大きな戦略的枠組みの一要素にすぎまい。それは後半の訪問国、マレーシアとフィリピンへの対応をみても分かる。両国とも南シナ海で、中国と領有権問題を抱える。
 米大統領のマレーシア訪問は48年ぶりだ。同国は米国とは長く距離を置いてきたため、国有企業の維持などTPP交渉では難問を抱える。中国との関係も深く、南シナ海問題では法による解決を図るとの合意にとどまった。
 米国とフィリピン両政府が署名した新軍事協定は、1992年にフィリピンから完全撤退した米軍が22年ぶりに回帰する内容だ。現在は訪問米軍が巡回しているフィリピン軍の全基地を、米軍が使用できる。米軍の地域での存在感は圧倒的に高まる。

 同時に信頼の醸成も

 新協定は実際に地域の軍事バランスの変更を意味するだけに、その影響は計り知れない。
 中国は米国が日本に尖閣諸島の防衛義務を確約しただけで、激しく反発した。新協定の衝撃はその比ではないはずで、今後の出方に注目が集まる。
 米国の狙いは、東シナ海や南シナ海で周辺国と対立する中国をけん制することにあるだろう。だがフィリピンへの米軍回帰は、東アジアの緊張をさらに高めかねない。
 オバマ大統領は新協定について、中国には南シナ海問題などの対話解決の必要性を明確に伝えているとし、「中国の封じ込めが目的ではない」と強調した。「中国の平和的台頭を歓迎する」と、日本で述べたのと同じ言葉でメッセージを送りもした。
 それならなおのこと、日本に求めた「対立をエスカレートさせるだけでない、信頼醸成の措置」に米国自ら努力する責任がある。同盟強化の一方で、地域の安定化に汗をかくべきだ。
 日本も含めた同盟国も米国をあてにするだけでは、アジアの安定化に寄与できない。アジアに持続可能な平和と繁栄をもたらしてこその「リバランス」であろう。
 大統領の歴訪が終わった今後の取り組みこそが重要だ。
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