Mattis tries to unite fragmented Asean against China
Golez: SEC. MATTIS, YOU HAVE A "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" https://t.co/nVNP8f2mP3 via @FT
I quote from the article:
1. US WANTS A UNITED ASEAN FRONT AGAINST CHINA. THIS LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE: "The US wants to develop a united front in Asean as a bulwark against China, which pursues individual bilateral relations with members at the expense of the bloc. It also wants Asean countries to work together to squeeze North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have alarmed the US."
2. MATTIS TO SUPPLEMENT SEC. TILLERSON'S EFFORT TO DEVELOP INDIA AS A COUNTERWEIGHT AGAINST CHINA. US IS MAKING INDIA A MAJOR DEFENSE PARTNER, OFFERING INDIA TOP-FLIGHT WEAPONS SYSTEMS: "Mr Mattis’s comments echo those last week of US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who promoted a vision of India as a democratic, populous counterweight to China and invited it to take on a leading security role in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has made India a major defence partner and is offering it a shopping list of top-flight weapon systems. Mr Mattis will meet India’s defence minister during his trip this week."
3. MATTIS TO MEETS WITH ASEAN COUNTERPARTS: "He was due to hold an informal meeting later on Monday with Asean members, who have prevaricated over taking a joint strong position over the South China Sea. They have made no mention of a 2016 ruling in The Hague that found no legal basis for China’s territorial claims to the artificial islands."
"While Cambodia and Laos tend to fall within China’s orbit, US ally Thailand, Vietnam and until recently the Philippines have sided against China."
"But under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ relationship with the US has soured. President Barack Obama cancelled a meeting in September last year after Mr Duterte described him on national television as a “son of a bitch”.
"Mr Trump has sought to draw closer to Mr Duterte, who is sometimes called “the Trump of Asia” and is known for his loose remarks and a bloody crackdown on suspected drug dealers. But even Mr Trump’s overtures to a man many abhor as a human rights abuser have at times been rebuffed."
4. TRUMP WILL VISIT THE PHILIPPINES:"Mr Duterte, whose country still participates in joint military exercises with the US despite threats to cancel them, described the US as a “lousy” place in July and said he would not accept Mr Trump’s invitation to visit the White House. The White House has nevertheless confirmed that Mr Trump is due to visit Manila, home to Trump Tower Manila, as part of his 12-day regional tour next month, at which he will meet Asean leaders."
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https://www.ft.com/content/19ff0830-b77c-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589
FROM FINANCIAL TIMES:
Mattis tries to unite fragmented Asean against China US defence secretary seeks to reassert waning American influence in Asia © AP Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on LinkedIn (opens new window) 27 Save 4 HOURS AGO by Katrina Manson in Clark Freeport, Philippines US defence secretary Jim Mattis will try to unite Southeast Asian countries against China during a meeting of defence ministers in the Philippines on Monday, as President Donald Trump prepares to send a strong message to challenge Beijing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has frequently been fragmented as the US and China jockey for influence. This has been magnified by a dispute over artificial islands in the South China Sea that China has built and equipped with military installations. At the same time the US has lost influence in the region after Mr Trump appeared to give his predecessor’s “pivot to Asia” short shrift, cancelling a trade pact that the region had spent years working towards. “[Asean gives] voice to those who want relations between states to be based on respect, and not on predatory economics or on the size of militaries,” Mr Mattis told reporters ahead of meetings in the Philippines, without mentioning China by name. “The United States remains unambiguously committed to supporting Asean.” The US wants to develop a united front in Asean as a bulwark against China, which pursues individual bilateral relations with members at the expense of the bloc. It also wants Asean countries to work together to squeeze North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have alarmed the US. Mr Mattis’s comments echo those last week of US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who promoted a vision of India as a democratic, populous counterweight to China and invited it to take on a leading security role in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has made India a major defence partner and is offering it a shopping list of top-flight weapon systems. Mr Mattis will meet India’s defence minister during his trip this week. He was due to hold an informal meeting later on Monday with Asean members, who have prevaricated over taking a joint strong position over the South China Sea. They have made no mention of a 2016 ruling in The Hague that found no legal basis for China’s territorial claims to the artificial islands. While Cambodia and Laos tend to fall within China’s orbit, US ally Thailand, Vietnam and until recently the Philippines have sided against China. But under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ relationship with the US has soured. President Barack Obama cancelled a meeting in September last year after Mr Duterte described him on national television as a “son of a bitch”. Mr Trump has sought to draw closer to Mr Duterte, who is sometimes called “the Trump of Asia” and is known for his loose remarks and a bloody crackdown on suspected drug dealers. But even Mr Trump’s overtures to a man many abhor as a human rights abuser have at times been rebuffed. Mr Duterte, whose country still participates in joint military exercises with the US despite threats to cancel them, described the US as a “lousy” place in July and said he would not accept Mr Trump’s invitation to visit the White House. The White House has nevertheless confirmed that Mr Trump is due to visit Manila, home to Trump Tower Manila, as part of his 12-day regional tour next month, at which he will meet Asean leaders. Recommended Xi Jinping offers a long-term view of China’s ambition Tillerson sees closer India ties as foil against China Rage, Rocket Man and the price of Donald Trump’s vanity The Philippines last year declared a new friendship with China, having previously accused it of seizing a disputed shoal in 2012, and this month accepted a new delivery of armaments. But the US has also stepped up its support of Mr Duterte’s efforts to overcome Islamist fighters in Mindanao, a largely Muslim island to which the US laid siege in 1906, providing surveillance, intelligence, training and supplies to help Mr Duterte's government retake the city of Marawi, which the US said had attracted Isis militants fleeing from Syria and Iraq. Mr Mattis will meet his counterparts from Japan and South Korea on Monday to discuss North Korea and what he described as “the regional security crisis” provoked by its nuclear ambitions. He is also due to visit Thailand and South Korea on his eight-day tour. “Mattis coming is good, but what people would really want to see is sustained engagement,” said Michael Vatikiotis, author of “Blood and Silk”, a recent book about Southeast Asia. “If there has been neglect, and they have allowed the Chinese to steal a march on this region, they are mostly to blame.” While few in Asia see any immediate threat of a US confrontation with China, analysts do not discount the possibility of an unintended escalation between the two powers, and several countries in the region look to the US as a counterweight to what they see as increasingly bold and unchallenged Chinese economic and military hegemony. Additional reporting by John Reed in Bangkok
Golez: SEC. MATTIS, YOU HAVE A "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" https://t.co/nVNP8f2mP3 via @FT
I quote from the article:
1. US WANTS A UNITED ASEAN FRONT AGAINST CHINA. THIS LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE: "The US wants to develop a united front in Asean as a bulwark against China, which pursues individual bilateral relations with members at the expense of the bloc. It also wants Asean countries to work together to squeeze North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have alarmed the US."
2. MATTIS TO SUPPLEMENT SEC. TILLERSON'S EFFORT TO DEVELOP INDIA AS A COUNTERWEIGHT AGAINST CHINA. US IS MAKING INDIA A MAJOR DEFENSE PARTNER, OFFERING INDIA TOP-FLIGHT WEAPONS SYSTEMS: "Mr Mattis’s comments echo those last week of US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who promoted a vision of India as a democratic, populous counterweight to China and invited it to take on a leading security role in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has made India a major defence partner and is offering it a shopping list of top-flight weapon systems. Mr Mattis will meet India’s defence minister during his trip this week."
3. MATTIS TO MEETS WITH ASEAN COUNTERPARTS: "He was due to hold an informal meeting later on Monday with Asean members, who have prevaricated over taking a joint strong position over the South China Sea. They have made no mention of a 2016 ruling in The Hague that found no legal basis for China’s territorial claims to the artificial islands."
"While Cambodia and Laos tend to fall within China’s orbit, US ally Thailand, Vietnam and until recently the Philippines have sided against China."
"But under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ relationship with the US has soured. President Barack Obama cancelled a meeting in September last year after Mr Duterte described him on national television as a “son of a bitch”.
"Mr Trump has sought to draw closer to Mr Duterte, who is sometimes called “the Trump of Asia” and is known for his loose remarks and a bloody crackdown on suspected drug dealers. But even Mr Trump’s overtures to a man many abhor as a human rights abuser have at times been rebuffed."
4. TRUMP WILL VISIT THE PHILIPPINES:"Mr Duterte, whose country still participates in joint military exercises with the US despite threats to cancel them, described the US as a “lousy” place in July and said he would not accept Mr Trump’s invitation to visit the White House. The White House has nevertheless confirmed that Mr Trump is due to visit Manila, home to Trump Tower Manila, as part of his 12-day regional tour next month, at which he will meet Asean leaders."
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
https://www.ft.com/content/19ff0830-b77c-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589
FROM FINANCIAL TIMES:
Mattis tries to unite fragmented Asean against China US defence secretary seeks to reassert waning American influence in Asia © AP Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on LinkedIn (opens new window) 27 Save 4 HOURS AGO by Katrina Manson in Clark Freeport, Philippines US defence secretary Jim Mattis will try to unite Southeast Asian countries against China during a meeting of defence ministers in the Philippines on Monday, as President Donald Trump prepares to send a strong message to challenge Beijing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has frequently been fragmented as the US and China jockey for influence. This has been magnified by a dispute over artificial islands in the South China Sea that China has built and equipped with military installations. At the same time the US has lost influence in the region after Mr Trump appeared to give his predecessor’s “pivot to Asia” short shrift, cancelling a trade pact that the region had spent years working towards. “[Asean gives] voice to those who want relations between states to be based on respect, and not on predatory economics or on the size of militaries,” Mr Mattis told reporters ahead of meetings in the Philippines, without mentioning China by name. “The United States remains unambiguously committed to supporting Asean.” The US wants to develop a united front in Asean as a bulwark against China, which pursues individual bilateral relations with members at the expense of the bloc. It also wants Asean countries to work together to squeeze North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have alarmed the US. Mr Mattis’s comments echo those last week of US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who promoted a vision of India as a democratic, populous counterweight to China and invited it to take on a leading security role in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has made India a major defence partner and is offering it a shopping list of top-flight weapon systems. Mr Mattis will meet India’s defence minister during his trip this week. He was due to hold an informal meeting later on Monday with Asean members, who have prevaricated over taking a joint strong position over the South China Sea. They have made no mention of a 2016 ruling in The Hague that found no legal basis for China’s territorial claims to the artificial islands. While Cambodia and Laos tend to fall within China’s orbit, US ally Thailand, Vietnam and until recently the Philippines have sided against China. But under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ relationship with the US has soured. President Barack Obama cancelled a meeting in September last year after Mr Duterte described him on national television as a “son of a bitch”. Mr Trump has sought to draw closer to Mr Duterte, who is sometimes called “the Trump of Asia” and is known for his loose remarks and a bloody crackdown on suspected drug dealers. But even Mr Trump’s overtures to a man many abhor as a human rights abuser have at times been rebuffed. Mr Duterte, whose country still participates in joint military exercises with the US despite threats to cancel them, described the US as a “lousy” place in July and said he would not accept Mr Trump’s invitation to visit the White House. The White House has nevertheless confirmed that Mr Trump is due to visit Manila, home to Trump Tower Manila, as part of his 12-day regional tour next month, at which he will meet Asean leaders. Recommended Xi Jinping offers a long-term view of China’s ambition Tillerson sees closer India ties as foil against China Rage, Rocket Man and the price of Donald Trump’s vanity The Philippines last year declared a new friendship with China, having previously accused it of seizing a disputed shoal in 2012, and this month accepted a new delivery of armaments. But the US has also stepped up its support of Mr Duterte’s efforts to overcome Islamist fighters in Mindanao, a largely Muslim island to which the US laid siege in 1906, providing surveillance, intelligence, training and supplies to help Mr Duterte's government retake the city of Marawi, which the US said had attracted Isis militants fleeing from Syria and Iraq. Mr Mattis will meet his counterparts from Japan and South Korea on Monday to discuss North Korea and what he described as “the regional security crisis” provoked by its nuclear ambitions. He is also due to visit Thailand and South Korea on his eight-day tour. “Mattis coming is good, but what people would really want to see is sustained engagement,” said Michael Vatikiotis, author of “Blood and Silk”, a recent book about Southeast Asia. “If there has been neglect, and they have allowed the Chinese to steal a march on this region, they are mostly to blame.” While few in Asia see any immediate threat of a US confrontation with China, analysts do not discount the possibility of an unintended escalation between the two powers, and several countries in the region look to the US as a counterweight to what they see as increasingly bold and unchallenged Chinese economic and military hegemony. Additional reporting by John Reed in Bangkok
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