As China is a large country with a rising influence on regional and world affairs, it is no surprise that China should have been in the spotlight at the three-day Asia Security Summit that concluded on Sunday in Singapore.
Beijing hopes such regional platforms will promote dialogue and cooperation to safeguard regional peace and stability.
Still some nations sought to use the Singapore forum, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, to try and sow seeds of discord and call for outside intervention in their disputes with China, alleging that Beijing is being belligerent over the South China Sea.
But to set the record straight, the much-hyped “China threat” to the freedom of navigation is a figment of their imagination.
Lieutenant General Ren Haiquan, head of the Chinese delegation to the forum, was sincere when he said he appreciated the positive answers given by United States Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to media questions about the South China Sea disputes.
Panetta said Asian nations must find a way to resolve their own conflicts because the United States cannot always come charging in to help.
His remarks should prompt those who are relying on the backing of the U.S. in their disputes with China to begin thinking more realistically.
True, U.S. officials, including Panetta, have made it clear that the U.S. is a Pacific power and it is pivoting its forces to the Asia-Pacific region. But they always remember to reiterate that this is not meant to contain China.
Panetta said in Singapore that the U.S. plans to deploy 60 percent of its fleet in the Pacific by 2020, up from the current 50 percent. But he added that this “will actually benefit China as it advances the shared security and prosperity of the two countries for the future.”
Despite the differences between them, cooperation dominates the relationship between Washington and Beijing.
China is committed to working with its neighbours to bridge differences and solve regional issues, including the South China Sea disputes.
