Participants in the fifth Asia Security Summit, which ended in
Singapore Sunday, called for more practical cooperation to forge a
security architecture among nations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Some 250 defense ministers, military officials and scholars from
more than 20 countries and regions in Asia Pacific, North America
and Europe including the United States, India, Britain, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, Australia and China took part in the three-day
event, which is also known as the Shangri-la Dialogue.
The meeting discussed the region's security threats such as
international terrorism, trafficking of arms and drugs, as well as
maritime piracy and natural disasters.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his keynote
address at the opening reception on Friday night that the trend
within Asia is towards greater economic cooperation, and hence a
more stable, more secure regional order.
"As the regional countries strengthen their economic linkages
with one another, their strategic priorities will shift towards
attending to these relationships," he noted.
On constructing a regional security community, defense ministers
felt that there is a need to move from dialogue to practical
cooperation so that regional countries can more effectively address
common threats and challenges such as humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief, maritime security and peace support missions.
"It is critical that countries both in the region and
stakeholders from outside the region move from principles to
practice, to implement cooperative measures which will create real
capacities for prevention, protection and even consequence
management," Singapore's Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean said at a
plenary session on Sunday.
Noting that globalization has made countries in the world more
dependent on one another in terms of security and economic
well-being, Teo stressed that they have to develop better
understanding and substantively strengthen cooperation to meet
their national security priorities, particularly maritime security
and energy security.
While admitting the importance of existing regional groupings
and structures, the ministers agreed that more activities to build
regional security capacity, such as table-top or joint exercises,
should be encouraged.
They also came up with several proposals for strengthening
regional cooperation in areas of humanitarian relief and maritime
security.
Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee stressed his country's
support for strengthening regional cooperation to enhance maritime
security, saying that India would be willing to assist a Malacca
Straits patrolling project "in whatever capacity is deemed
suitable."
"India has developed capabilities in various aspects of maritime
security and would be most willing to share its expertise with
countries of the region," Mukherjee said.
He added that India would also be happy to be associated with
the initiative to set up a regional marine center, which is
expected to help establish common understanding and procedures.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak proposed "the
setting up of a regional-based humanitarian relief coordinating
center, by which member states will commit a set of forces, made up
of civilian and military personnel, in the event a disaster strikes
in any part of the region."
He envisioned that training and contingency plans could be drawn
out and that the center could be activated when help is needed.
He also urged countries in the region to look at security and
defense issues from a more altruistic perspective to seek common
and comprehensive security for all of their peoples.
The Republic of Korea is planning to establish a comprehensive
cooperative response system for regional and international
disasters by setting up a channel for information sharing and
coordination of required human resources, supplies and equipment,
according to Yoon Kwang Ung, South Korean Defense Minister.
Japanese Minister of State for Defense Fukushiro Nukaga also
proposed to develop strategies and procedures in advance to
facilitate a fast response by armed forces in the region in case of
natural disasters.
Apart from enhancing regional security cooperation, participants
also exchanged views on the United States' engagement in Asia's
security architecture, the rise of India as a global player and the
challenges of force modernization.
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld reiterated that the US
must and will stay engaged in the Pacific region as a partner in
"an expanding network of security cooperation in this region, both
bilaterally between nations and multilaterally among nations."
He stressed that countries concerned can make the region more
peaceful and prosperous in the coming decades by continuing to work
together in constructive ways, while mindful and respectful of
different perspectives and different interests.
He added that it is the perspective of the US government that
China is an important stakeholder in the world system, which was
echoed by Mukherjee who said that developing friendly cooperation
with China is one of the priorities of India's foreign policy.
Organized by the London-based International Institute for
Strategic Studies (IISS), the annual dialogue has been held at
Singapore's Shangri-la hotel since its inauguration in 2002.
(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2006)
