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US¡¦ Mitt Romney says
Asia-Pacific alliances are key
By Nadia Tsao and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter in Washington, with
staff writer
US Republican presumptive presidential candidate Mitt Romney says the US should
provide Taiwan with adequate aircraft and other military platforms, and increase
collaboration with Taiwan and close Asian allies to ensure peace, stability and
freedom of navigation in the Asia-Pacific region.
¡§In the face of China¡¦s accelerated military buildup, the US and our allies must
maintain appropriate military capabilities to discourage any aggressive or
coercive behavior by China against its neighbors,¡¨ Romney said in a recent
statement issued on his campaign Web site.
The White House hopeful said that his proposal to maintain a strong military
presence in the Pacific was not an invitation to regional conflict, adding that
the move was rather ¡§a guarantor of a region where trade routes are open, and
East Asia¡¦s community of nations remains secure and prosperous.¡¨
Pointing out a pressing need for the US to maintain and expand its naval
presence in the Western Pacific, Romney called on his country to lend a helping
hand to partners that are seeking to bolster their defensive capabilities.
¡§We should be assisting partners that require help to enhance their defensive
capabilities. The [US] Department of Defense should reconsider recent decisions
not to sell top-of-the-line equipment to our closest Asian allies,¡¨ Romney said.
To uphold that goal, the Republican said the US should supply Taiwan with
¡§adequate aircraft and other military platforms¡¨ in accordance with its military
needs by ensuring a better coordination between the two allies.
In addition, the US should also assist Pacific nations to reinforce maritime
domain awareness, Romney said, such as ¡§the ability to employ radar and other
detection networks to monitor aggressive behavior in disputed waters.¡¨
¡§This would minimize the chance of surprise confrontations and prevent military
miscalculations that can escalate into larger conflicts,¡¨ he said.
The presidential hopeful also stressed the importance of fortifying alliances
and relations with US regional partners, saying the nation should not only push
ahead with bilateral ties with all these countries, but also encourage enhanced
cooperation among them.
The US¡¦ objective is not to establish an anti-China alliance, he said, but
rather to consolidate collaboration with countries that share mutual interests
and ambitions.
¡§Our objective is not to build an anti-China coalition. Rather, it is to
strengthen cooperation among countries with which we share a concern about
China¡¦s growing power and increasing assertiveness, and with whom we also share
an interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and ensuring that disputes over
resources are resolved by peaceful means,¡¨ Romney said.
It is yet another way of closing off China¡¦s option of expanding its influence
through coercion, he said.
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