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18 mars 2015 3 18 /03 /mars /2015 17:35
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), right, the George Washington Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), right, the George Washington Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships.

 

March 18, 2015 todayonline.com

 

NEW YORK — The commander of the US Navy Seventh Fleet called on South-east Asian nations to form a combined maritime force to patrol areas of the South China Sea where territorial tensions flare with China.

Countries could streamline cooperation on maritime security while respecting sovereignty and coastal space, as in the case of counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, Vice Admiral Robert Thomas said yesterday (March 17) at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia.

The US has reassured allies in the region it will back them against China’s assertions to about four-fifths of the sea. China has ratcheted up pressure on some Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, and has accelerated reclamation work on reefs in the waters criss-crossed by claims from Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia.

“Perhaps easier said than done, from both a policy and organisation perspective, such an initiative could help crystallise the operational objectives in the training events that ASEAN navies want to pursue,” Vice Admr Thomas said at a panel session with navy chiefs. “If ASEAN members were to take the lead in organising something along those lines, trust me, the US 7th Fleet would be ready to support.”

 

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16 mars 2015 1 16 /03 /mars /2015 12:35
Les ministres de la Défense de l’ASEAN réunis en Malaisie

 

15/03/2015 Vietnam +

 

Le ministre de la Défense Phùng Quang Thanh s’est rendu en Malaisie pour la 9e conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM-9).

 

A la tête d’une haute délégation de l'Armée populaire du Vietnam, le général Phung Quang Thanh participera à cet événément qui aura lieu les 15 et 16 mars à Langkawi, dans l'État de Kadah, au Nord-Ouest de la Malaisie.

 

C'est une bonne opportunité pour le Vietnam de manifester sa participation active, dynamique et responsable dans les domaines de coopération dans le cadre de l'ADMM, ainsi que de continuer à mettre en œuvre de ses initiatives en matière de défense au sein de l’ASEAN.

 

À cette occasion, la délégation vietnamienne participera aussi au vernissage du salon international de l’aéronautique et de la navigation maritime de Langkawi 2015 en vue d’impulser la coopération entre le Vietnam et la Malaisie.

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16 mars 2015 1 16 /03 /mars /2015 12:35
Défense : le Vietnam à l'ADMM-9

Le ministre vietnamien de la Défense, le général d'armée Phung Quang Thanh, va participer aujourd'hui à la 9e Conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM-9) à Langkawi, en Malaisie. Photo : VNA

 

16/03/2015 Vietnam +

 

Le ministre vietnamien de la Défense, le général d'armée Phung Quang Thanh, va participer aujourd'hui à la 9e Conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM-9) à Langkawi, en Malaisie.

 

Selon le général de brigade Vu Tien Trong, directeur de l'Institut des relations internationales dans la défense, l'ADMM-9 revêt une signification importante pour la création de la Communauté politique-sécurité de l'ASEAN. Elle permettra d'accélérer le développement des relations en instaurant la confiance mutuelle et établissant des coopérations dans le cadre de l'ADMM comme l'ADMM+. Lors de la conférence, le Vietnam proposera aux participants de faire un bilan pour tirer des enseignements de l'ADMM ces dix dernières années et définir des orientations pour les cinq à dix prochaines années.

 

L'ADMM-9 abordera des questions liées à la sécurité régionale, tant traditionnelle que non traditionnelle. Les ministres vont discuter de l'"Etat islamique" (EI), de la coopération pour prévenir et empêcher la création d'organisations terroristes suivant l'EI. Ils vont également échanger des points de vue sur la cybersécurité, la sécurité maritime, la lutte contre la piraterie en Mer Orientale et la collaboration face aux risques de catastrophes naturelles. Les discussions seront consacrées en outre à la création d'une force de maintien de la paix de l'ASEAN, une initiative de la Malaisie qui bénéficie du soutien de plusieurs pays membres de l'Association.

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15 février 2015 7 15 /02 /février /2015 12:35
Examen du processus de coopération dans la défense de l'ASEAN

 

13/02/2015  Vietnam +

 

Le général de brigade Vu Tien Trong, chef de l'Institut des relations internationales sur la défense, à la tête de la délégation vietnamienne, a participé jeudi 12 février à Kuala Lumpur (Malaisie) à la conférence des hauts officiels de la défense de l'ASEAN (ADSOM).

 

Cet événement vise à préparer une série de réunions de la défense de l'Association des Nations de l'Asie du Sud-Est (ASEAN) telles la Conférence élargie des hauts officiels de la défense de l'ASEAN (ADSOM+), la conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM) et la conférence élargie des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM+) qui devraient se tenir cette année en Malaisie, pays qui assume la présidence tournante de l'ASEAN en 2015.

 

Les participants ont écouté le rapport sur les résultats de la conférence du Groupe de travail des hauts officiels de la défense de l'ASEAN (ADSOM WG) qui a eu lieu les 22 et 23 janvier à Johor Bahru, Malaisie. Ont été également présentés des rapports sur le processus de coopération dans la défense de l'ASEAN sur différents aspects comme l'utilisation des forces militaires de l'ASEAN dans l'assistance humanitaire et le secours aux sinistrés des catastrophes, la coopération entre les forces de défense et des organisations sociales civiles sur la sécurité non traditionnelle, le réseau des Centres de maintien de la paix de l'ASEAN, la coopération dans l'industrie de l'armement, l'établissement des mécanismes d'aide en matière de logistique et de la ligne de liaison directe dans le processus de l'ADMM.

 

Ils ont également examiné de nouvelles initiatives dans le cadre de l'ADMM et de l'ADMM+ et discuté de l'agenda de l'ADMM

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10 février 2015 2 10 /02 /février /2015 08:35
Défense : le Vietnam participe à une réunion de l'ASEAN

 

09/02/2015 Vietnam +

 

Une haute délégation de l'Armée populaire du Vietnam conduite par son chef d'état major général, le général de corps d'armée Do Ba Ty, participe à la 12e réunion informelle des commandants en chef des forces armées de l'ASEAN (ACDFIM-12) qui a lieu du 9 au 11 février à Kuala Lumpur, en Malaisie.

 

Lors de ce sommet, le Vietnam continue d'affirmer son rôle et son prestige dans la région et dans le monde, d'appliquer la politique extérieure de multilatéralisation et de diversification des relations internationales, ainsi que la préconisation du Parti et de l'Etat en matière d'intégration internationale active et avec responsabilité.

 

La participation de la délégation vietnamienne témoigne du souhait de l'Armée populaire du Vietnam (APV) de promouvoir l'amitié avec les forces armées des autres pays membres de l'ASEAN, pour garantir la paix, la stabilité et le développement de la région, s'orientant vers la création de la Communauté de l'ASEAN en 2015. L'occasion également d'exprimer le soutien de l'APV pour le pays hôte, et de renforcer davantage les relations Vietnam-Malaisie. -VNA

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12 août 2014 2 12 /08 /août /2014 07:35
Southeast Asia builds home-grown defense industry

 

12.08.2014 cnbc.com (Reuters)

 

Spurred by tensions with China, Southeast Asian nations are building up their own defense industries, channeling fast-growing military budgets to develop local expertise and lower their dependence on big U.S. and European arms suppliers.

 

While countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia won't do away with big-ticket imports from giants like Airbus or Lockheed Martin, they are increasingly encouraging domestic defense firms to manufacture hardware locally. With regional defense spending seen rising to $40 billion in 2016, 10 percent higher than last year, some countries are already developing their own exports.

 

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8 avril 2014 2 08 /04 /avril /2014 19:35
La Chine "mécontente" des propos de Chuck Hagel : responsable militaire chinois

 

2014-04- xinhua

 

La Chine est "mécontente" des propos tenus par Chuck Hagel, secrétaire américain à la Défense, lors de la réunion des ministres de la Défense de l'Association des nations de l'Asie du sud-est (ASEAN) et au Japon, a déclaré mardi un responsable militaire chinois.

 

Fan Changlong, vice-président de la Commission militaire centrale de Chine, s'est ainsi exprimé lors de sa rencontre avec Chuck Hagel.

 

"Je peux vous le dire franchement, les propos que vous avez tenus lors de la réunion des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN et aux politiciens japonais étaient durs. Le peuple chinois, moi y compris, est mécontent de ces remarques", a-t-il déclaré au secrétaire à la Défense en présence de la presse.

 

M. Hagel est le premier secrétaire américain à la Défense à avoir visité la Chine après l'entrée en fonction de M. Fan.

 

Chang Wanquan, conseiller d'Etat chinois et ministre de la Défense nationale, a rencontré M. Hagel mardi matin.

 

"J'ai accordé une attention particulière à vos récents voyages et discours", a poursuivi M. Fan, mentionnant en particulier les propos tenus par M. Hagel lors de la réunion des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN à Hawaï et au Japon.

 

Dans une interview accordée samedi au journal japonais Nikkei, M. Hagel a qualifié l'établissement de la zone d'identification de défense aérienne en mer de Chine orientale de provocation et d'initiative unilatérale, blâmant la Chine pour la montée des tensions dans l'une des régions les plus géopolitiquement sensibles.

 

M. Hagel s'est entretenu la semaine dernière avec les ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN à Hawaï, où il a abordé le sujet de l'inquiétude croissante des Etats-Unis concernant les différends territoriaux en mer de Chine méridionale.

 

M. Hagel effectue une tournée de dix jours au Japon, en Chine et en Mongolie.

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5 avril 2014 6 05 /04 /avril /2014 21:35
ASEAN-Etats-Unis : la coopération dans la défense nécessaire devant les défis de sécurité

 

04/04/2014 Vietnam +

 

Le forum de la défense entre les pays membres de l’Association des Nations de l’Asie du Sud-Est (ASEAN) et les États-Unis s'est clôturé vendredi matin 4 avril à Honolulu, Hawaii, Etats-Unis, après trois jours de travail.

 

Le ministre de la Défense du Vietnam, le général d’armée Phùng Quang Thanh, le secrétaire d’État américain à la Défense, Chuck Hagel, et les ministres de la Défense d’autres pays de l’ASEAN ont discuté et échangé des expériences sur un ensemble de problèmes en matière de défense et de sécurité.

 

Organisé pour la première fois sur le territoire américain, ce forum était une grande opportunité pour que les États-Unis avec des pays d’Asie, et plus particulièrement les pays de l’ASEAN, d'instituer et de développer un partenariat en vue de réagir efficacement aux nouveaux défis du XXIe siècle, a déclaré le secrétaire d’État américain Hagel devant la presse à l'issue de cet évènement.

 

Ce forum est un jalon historique marquant le lien et l’intérêt de plus en plus grand des États-Unis pour l’ASEAN. Il est aussi un signe démontrant le rôle important des pays de l’ASEAN en matière de maintien de l’ordre et de la paix en Asie du Sud-Est.

 

Les États-Unis et l’ASEAN se sont accordés sur le fait que les catastrophes naturelles sont un des facteurs importants de la sécurité en ce XXIe siècle. Ces phénomènes météorologiques exigent des nations, dont les États-Unis et les pays membres de l’ASEAN, de renforcer leur coopération, toujours selon le secrétaire d’État américain.

 

Lors des trois journées de ce forum, le secrétaire d’État américain à la Défense et les ministres de la Défense de l’ASEAN ont discuté de nombreux problèmes, dont de coopération maritime et de modes de règlement des tensions en Mer Orientale.

 

Le secrétaire d’État américain a exprimé les inquiétudes de son pays devant l’augmentation des tensions en Mer Orientale où les intérêts de tous les pays doivent être respectés. Les États-Unis se préoccupent des menaces de recours à la force.

 

Le secrétaire d’État Hagel a demandé aux pays qui se prévalent de leur souveraineté dans cette zone maritime de se conduire conformément aux principes et règles du droit international. Il a également affirmé que l’intensification de la coopération dans la défense entre les États-Unis et l’ASEAN ne vise aucune autre nation. Dans le cadre de sa politique de réorientation vers l’Asie, les États-Unis renforcent aussi leurs relations avec la Chine. D'ailleurs, en suite de ce forum, le secrétaire d’État américain à la Défense doit effectuer une visite en Chine qui, selon M. Chuck Hagel, devra être plus active dans le règlement des problèmes internationaux.

 

Le forum de défense ASEAN-États-Unis est différent des autres forums multilatéraux car il ne réunit que l’ASEAN et les États-Unis, a souligné le ministre de la Défense du Vietnam, le général Phùng Quang Thanh, lors d'une interview accordée à un correspondant de l’Agence vietnamienne d’Information (VNA en anglais).

 

L’organisation de cet évènement est nécessaire pour intensifier la coopération et la coordination des actions en matière de défis non traditionnels comme les secours et le règlement des catastrophes naturelles. L’important, c’est que l’ASEAN maintienne son rôle central, sans devenir l'outil des puissances mondiales. Il est aussi une occasion pour les ministres de la Défense de l’ASEAN de discuter de questions d’intérêt commun, ainsi que des relations entre parties.

 

Concernant la Mer Orientale, le ministre Phùng Quang Thanh a estimé qu’il s’agit d’un problème très important, et qu’il a été et continue d'être abordé lors des conférences de l’ASEAN sur le principe commun et constant de maintenir la liberté et la sécurité de la navigation maritime, de régler les désaccords par la voie diplomatique selon les principes du droit international, dont la Convention des Nations unies sur le droit de la mer de 1982 (UNCLOS 1982) et la Déclaration sur le principe de six points de l’ASEAN sur la Mer Orientale, de respecter les principes de maintenir le statu quo figurant dans la Déclaration sur la conduite des parties en Mer Orientale (DOC) et de s’orienter vers l’élaboration du Code de conduite en Mer Orientale (COC).

 

Le ministre Phùng Quang Thanh a indiqué que lors de ce forum, le Vietnam a demandé aux États-Unis de partager davantage d'informations et de fournir une assistance technique plus importante afin de permettre aux pays de l’ASEAN d’améliorer leurs capacités de prévention et de réaction aux catastrophes naturelles, ainsi que celles de secours et de sauvetage.

 

Le Vietnam a participé activement aux efforts communs, notamment pour résoudre les séquelles laissées par le typhon Haiyan qui a ravagé les Phillippines l’année dernière et, plus récemment, rechercher l’avion disparu de la Malaysia Airlines. -VNA

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3 avril 2014 4 03 /04 /avril /2014 07:35
USA: Hagel - ASEAN Meeting Reflects Commitment to Asia-Pacific

 

 

03 April 2014 By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service – Pacific Sentinel

 

HONOLULU, April 2, 2014 – At a hotel here, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will join defense ministers from 10 Asia-Pacific countries for the official start of an unofficial meeting of defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, their first in the United States.

 

Hagel himself invited the ministers here, he told reporters traveling with him on the military plane that brought him yesterday to the April 1-3 ASEAN meeting and will later take him on to Japan, China and Mongolia -- a 10-day trip that will be his fourth official visit to the Asia-Pacific region in less than 12 months.

 

Last June, at a luncheon for the ASEAN defense ministers during the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting in Singapore, Hagel invited them to Hawaii this year. All 10 ministers -- from Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- immediately accepted his invitation.

 

“When I invited the ASEAN defense ministers last year to Hawaii, the thought I had then … is it’s more and more important that the United States, as we’ve moved over the last three years into a rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific, be clear in our intent,” the secretary said.

 

The purpose of the rebalance, he said, is to strengthen U.S. relationships in the Asia-Pacific with treaty allies and partners, and coordinate efforts.

 

“ASEAN represents the one organization in the Asia-Pacific where there is a cohesiveness, a consolidation, a coordination among 10 nations [and] among the ASEAN Defense Ministers-Plus organization,” Hagel said.

 

The ADMM-Plus is made up of the 10 ASEAN defense ministers and eight dialogue partners, who are the defense ministers from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia.

 

Hagel said the United States has been participating in the ADMM-Plus since 2010, representing “a tremendous opportunity to connect, to coordinate, to communicate, to reinforce the U.S. message about our intent and our cooperation.”

 

The secretary added, “When we designed the two-and-a-half days of informal meetings [for the ASEAN defense ministers], I wanted to ensure that it was more than military-to-military events and I think we’ve done that.”

 

In attendance will be U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah, and the head of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, he said. Tours will be held in a new U.S. Department of Commerce technical facility and several of the events will focus on humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief activities, Hagel added.

 

“All of this is about a more stable, secure Asia-Pacific,” he said. “That means a prosperous region of the world, [one] that presents possibilities and hope for all its people.”

 

Over the past 25 years the Asia-Pacific region has done well, the secretary added, with a population of more than 600 million people and huge emerging economies.

 

“They’ve done that essentially because they’ve had wise leadership in how they have handled their differences and their areas of competition,” said Hagel, adding, “It’s imperfect -- there’s been conflict. There are still issues [and] disagreements and we’ll talk about those. I intend to talk about those when I go to China and Japan as well.”

 

Hagel said at the defense ministers’ meeting he would also discuss the United States’ ongoing fiscal constraints and its commitment, nevertheless, to the Asia-Pacific rebalance.

 

“I have been very clear and direct in what I’ve said about the fiscal restraints we are dealing with [and] working through,” Hagel said, “and I’ve made very clear the prioritization [for the Asia-Pacific rebalance] in the president’s budget that I presented to Congress and that Congress will be dealing with for the next few months.”

 

The secretary added that the department’s recent Quadrennial Defense Review also prioritizes the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and named ongoing military activities in the region -- rotating littoral combat ships to Singapore, rotating 1,150 Marines and four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters to Australia, continuing negotiations with the Philippines to use Subic Bay resources on a rotational basis, progress made with the AN/TP2 missile defense radar site in Japan, a breakthrough late last year on the Futenma replacement facility when the governor of Okinawa approved a critical landfill permit, and continuing efforts and posturing of assets in the Asia-Pacific.

 

“I think it’s pretty clear, even with budget constraints … that this is a priority and we’ll fulfill the commitments we’ve made,” Hagel said, “and I do look forward to talking about this with our ASEAN partners.”

 

The secretary added, “I want the defense ministers, after they leave Hawaii, to feel even more clarity about the U.S. commitment to the [Asia-Pacific], our coordination, our communications [and] the areas where we can cooperate more and more -- and certainly humanitarian assistance and disaster relief is one of those.”

 

There is a tremendous amount of capability and capacity in the Asia-Pacific region, Hagel said, and the United States represents a good amount of it.

 

“This is not about crowding anybody out,” he said, “but it is about assuring the freedom of the sea lanes and the openness of our skies and cyber, and we’re going to continue to help do that.”

 

US DoD

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24 mars 2014 1 24 /03 /mars /2014 17:35
source Les Yeux du Monde

source Les Yeux du Monde


24.03.2014 Charles CASTA - Portail de l'I.E.
 

Depuis 2012, et malgré les récentes déclarations amicales de Washington et Pékin, on observe une montée des tensions dans le Pacifique. Parallèlement, l'Asean refuse de prendre position, tiraillée en interne entre partisans américains et chinois. Dans le cadre d' un éventuel conflit, quelles seraient alors les options de l'organisation asiatique?

 

Le sommet informel de juin 2013 entre Barack Obama et son homologue chinois Xi Jinping a laissé entrevoir la possibilité d’un apaisement des tensions dans les relations sino-américaines comme en témoigne la déclaration du président chinois qui souhaite voir émerger une nouvelle ère de relations bilatérales basées sur la paix, la tolérance et la coopération. Néanmoins, les nombreux incidents qui ont émaillé la fin de l’année 2013 (instauration chinoise d’une zone aérienne d’identification en mer de Chine de l’Est et d’une zone de pêche contrôlée en mer de Chine du Sud, incident entre le navire militaire américain Cowpens et une frégate chinoise) laissent plutôt penser que l’affrontement stratégique entre Pékin et Washington dans le Pacifique est sérieux et s’inscrit dans le long terme. A côté des deux premières puissances mondiales, la puissance régionale montante, l’Asean, créé en 1967 à Bangkok, tente de résoudre pacifiquement les conflits et de prévenir l'escalade des tensions impliquant la Chine et une majorité de ses dix Etats membres. Si l’organisation a jusqu’à présent toujours réussi à empêcher la naissance d’un conflit armé, quel serait son rôle dans un affrontement sino-américain ?

 

Les raisons laissant penser à un futur conflit

 

De retour en Asie du Sud-Est depuis 2011, les Etats-Unis ont officiellement justifié ce revirement géostratégique par la volonté d’assurer la liberté de navigation en mer de Chine. Officieusement, il s’agit surtout de contrer la politique offensive chinoise et de rassurer ses alliés japonais ou coréen. Retour sur les points sensibles de la zone Pacifique :

Quelle place pour l’Asean dans le futur conflit sino-américain dans le Pacifique ?

 

Situées à 90 milles nautiques à l’ouest d’Okinawa, les îles Senkaku sont une source de tensions récurrente depuis que la  République de Chine en dispute la souveraineté au Japon. Objet de tensions croissantes depuis 2010, l’aspect économique constitue le cœur du conflit dans la mesure où les eaux bordant l’archipel recèlent d’importants gisements d’hydrocarbures (champ gazier de Chunxiao) et de ressources halieutiques (bonite notamment). La nationalisation récente de l’archipel revêt une double importance pour Tokyo : faire étalage de sa puissance face au voisin chinois et tester son allié américain.

 

Quelle place pour l’Asean dans le futur conflit sino-américain dans le Pacifique ?

Les relations entre la Chine et le Japon se sont encore tendues fin novembre 2013 suite à la décision unilatérale chinoise d’instaurer une « zone aérienne d’identification » (ZAI) dans l’espace aérien des îles Senkaku. En réaction, Tokyo a pour la seconde fois depuis 2010 modifié sa stratégie de défense, en accroissant l’intégration et la mobilité de son armée. Cette nouvelle stratégie permettrait au Japon de reprendre les îles du Sud-Ouest de l’Archipel dans l’hypothèse d’une invasion chinoise. Parallèlement, Washington a immédiatement réagit en envoyant deux bombardiers B52 survoler la zone. Si l’annonce, le 31 Janvier dernier, par le quotidien japonais « The Asahi Shimbun » de l’intention chinoise d’instaurer une nouvelle ZAI dans la partie sud de la mer de Chine s’avérait réelle, on peut se demander comment réagirait Washington qui a déjà refusé de reconnaitre la première zone.

L’instauration chinoise d’un accord préalable de pêche : Le 1er Janvier dernier, Pékin a annoncé la mise en place d’un accord préalable de pêche pour tout navire étranger souhaitant pêcher dans les eaux de mer de Chine du sud. Officiellement mise en œuvre pour préserver les ressources halieutiques de la zone et  protéger la pérennité de l’industrie de pêche, cette décision s’est accompagnée de l’envoi de patrouilleurs dans la zone ainsi qu’en Malaisie.

Pékin a aussi répliqué à la mise en place de la stratégie américaine « Air Sea Battle » par le déploiement de missiles anti-navires dans le cadre de sa stratégie « A2/AD ». Cette décision est vécue par Washington comme la volonté chinoise d’empêcher, dans le cadre d’un futur conflit, toute progression américaine dans la zone.

Enfin, la lutte pour le contrôle de la voie maritime Sulu-Sulawesi-Makassar-Lombok oppose chinois et américains à propos d’une faille sous-marine traversant l’archipel des Spratleys d’Ouest en Est. Contrôler cette faille permettrait à Washington ou Pékin de posséder une alternative au détroit de Malacca en cas de crise internationale. Cela permettrait également d’avoir un œil sur la mer de Sulu et notamment le détroit de Balabac, qui est depuis 2012 au centre des préoccupations australienne, philippine et américaine. Ce point stratégique permet de contrôler les flux des sous-marins chinois dans la zone. Ce n’est d’ailleurs pas innocent si les Etats-Unis ont inauguré il y a peu une nouvelle base à Darwin en Australie.

 

Quelles conséquences pour l’ASEAN ?

Les tensions sino-américaines, directes ou indirectes, ont des répercussions inévitables sur l’Asean. Si les Etats membres de l’organisation ont toujours refusé de choisir entre Washington et Pékin, afin de préserver ses valeurs d’unité et de neutralité, cet « Asean way » est à l’heure actuelle soumis à rude épreuve. En effet, depuis le retour des Etats-Unis dans la zone Pacifique, plusieurs pays membres de l’Asean comme le Vietnam ou la Birmanie s'en sont rapprochés pour contrer la menace chinoise. Ces stratégies ont des répercussions au sein de l’Asean qui voit son unité menacée entre les «pro-chinois » d’une part (Cambodge, Laos) et les pro-américains d’autre part (Vietnam, Philippines). Quels sont alors les scenarii envisageables pour l’organisation dans ses relations avec la Chine et les Etats-Unis ?

 - Un rapprochement avec la Chine pour approfondir la coopération économique. L’Asean reconnait elle-même que « l’Asean + 3 » (Chine, Japon et Corée Sud) est l’architecture diplomatique la plus à-même de bâtir une communauté est-asiatique. Dans ce scénario, les Etats membres se rapprocheraient du voisin chinois avec lequel ils ont déjà planifié des projets d’intégration économique et de développement notamment dans les domaines touristiques, technologiques et d’infrastructures. Choisir Pékin plutôt que Washington relèverait donc d’une stratégie économique visant à développer l’intégration économique et profiter des énormes débouchés offerts par la croissance chinoise. Etant donné que les Etats-Unis refusent de s’impliquer dans les affaires internes de l’Asean, ce scénario ne pourrait être exclu à l’avenir.

 - Un rapprochement avec les Etats-Unis pour contrer la menace militaire et l’influence grandissante de Pékin. Dans ce scenario, les Etats membres de l’Asean opteraient pour la protection militaire offerte par Washington dans le cadre des conflits territoriaux en mer de Chine. Certains pays comme les Philippines ou le Vietnam ont d’ailleurs déjà effectué de choix. Coté économique, ce rapprochement pourrait aboutir à terme à la mise en place du partenariat Trans-Pacifique. Quatre pays (Vietnam, Brunei, Malaisie et Singapour) participent actuellement aux négociations. Cela pourrait également accélérer la mise en place de l’initiative E3 « Expanded Economic Engagement » qui vise à accroitre le commerce et les investissements entre les Etats-Unis et l’Asean.

 - Rester dans ligne directrice historique du « non alignement ». La troisième option reste le statu quo et l’arbitrage entre les influences américaine et chinoise. Cette stratégie a déjà fait ses preuves par le passé mais est de plus en plus dangereuse à l’heure d’une montée des tensions dans la rivalité sino-américaine. De plus, cet arbitrage pourrait à terme menacer l’unité de l’organisation. Pour William Toe, professeur à l’université nationale australienne, la stratégie de « l’Asean way » de l’Asean doit être remise en question si l’organisation ne veut pas imploser.

 

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7 novembre 2013 4 07 /11 /novembre /2013 08:45
Denel targeting ASEAN decision-makers in Bangkok

 

 

05 November 2013 defenceWeb

 

With military modernisation programmes for south eastern Asian nations in full swing, Denel is confident its presence at the Thailand Defence and Security Exhibition will bring rewards.

 

The exhibition opened in Bangkok yesterday and Denel chief executive Riaz Salojee said the presence of the State-owned defence industry conglomerate in Thailand was a good fit to south-east Asia - “one of our primary target markets, along with Africa and the Middle East”.

 

The Thailand exhibition is the 10th of its kind and more than 400 defence manufacturers from 20 countries are showing the latest in products and technology to potential buyers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

 

Denel personnel will build on the strong diplomatic and trade relations that exist between South Africa and ASEAN countries. Both China and India are members of BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] and South Africa has good relations with Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea and Indonesia, Salojee said.

 

Earlier this year Denel Land Systems (DLS) entered into a contract with Malaysia to supply a range of turrets and integrated weapons systems for that country’s infantry combat vehicles.

 

“Apart from boosting the Denel profile in the region it has also emphasised the quality and versatility of products carrying the Denel name,” he said.

 

One of the DLS products on display in Bangkok is the GA-1 20x80mm multi-purpose automatic cannon. This rapid fire weapon has proven its effectiveness in both landward defence and on helicopters. A naval-mounted version is seen as a deterrent in efforts to combat piracy.

 

According to DLS, the GA-1 can be effectively deployed alongside its NTW-20 anti-materiel weapon. This is effective for the destruction of high-value targets including vessels, refineries, bunkers and radar installations over a distance in excess of 2 000 metres.

 

DLS will also be marketing the latest version of its Casspir mine-protected vehicle which, according to the company, sets new standards in protection, power, manoeuvrability and comfort for crew and passengers.

 

With Denel acknowledged as a global leader in artillery systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as contributing to some of the most advanced missile development programmes currently underway, worldwide military attending the Bangkok exhibition will also be able to find out more about the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile. A new version destroyed targets at a range of 20 km during a recent series of tests in the Western Cape observed by local and international experts.

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16 octobre 2013 3 16 /10 /octobre /2013 11:35
China’s New Regional Security Treaty With ASEAN

October 16, 2013 By  Carl Thayer - Flashpoints

 

Southeast Asia’s annual summit season has just ended. Indonesia hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, while Brunei, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), hosted the ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit and other related ASEAN meetings. Media coverage contrasted President Barack Obama’s “no show” with President Xi Jinping’s successful debut in the region. Xi became the first person to address a joint sitting of Indonesia’s parliament, and also paid a state visit to Malaysia.

Much of the media coverage and commentary by analysts rightly stressed Xi’s major economic initiatives, including the establishment of an Asian infrastructure development bank and a new 100 billion yuan ($US16.3 billion) currency swap agreement between the Chinese and Indonesian central banks.

Little notice was given to Beijing's defense and security agenda, however. For example, in Xi’s address to the Indonesian parliament on October 3, he proposed a Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation between China and ASEAN. According to a commentary by Ruan Zongze, the deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies, in an article published last week, the purpose of the treaty was “to cement peaceful relations with ASEAN countries…and to eliminate any ASEAN countries’ misgivings about China.”

Xi met with his counterparts, Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak, and secured their agreement to raise bilateral relations to comprehensive strategic partnerships. Each statement on comprehensive strategic partnership included a clause on defense and security cooperation.

For example, when Xi and Yudhoyono met on October 2, they agreed “to strengthen security communication and coordination through defense consultations and navy dialogues…” On the following day, the two presidents issued a joint statement on the “Future Direction of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.” This document included a commitment to enhance bilateral defense ties by conducting joint military exercises and training, and to cooperate in maritime security, defense industry, and non-traditional security areas – such as consultations on counter-terrorism.

In Malaysia, Xi and Najib met on October 4. During the meeting, Xi put forward a five-point proposal that included making full use “of the defense and security consultation mechanism” as well as aiming to “increase exchanges between the two militaries, deepen law-enforcement cooperation, and join hands in combating terrorism and trans-border crimes.” After their talks they announced that they would raise bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. At a press conference President Xi stated, “We have agreed to strengthen our partnership with naval defense, joint military exercises to combat terrorism, transnational crime and promote security.”

After Xi concluded his state visits, China Premier Li Keqiang attended the 16th China-ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in Brunei. Li proposed cooperation in seven areas including active discussions on signing a Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation and boosting maritime cooperation and exchanges in the field of security. In his remarks to the 8th East Asia Summit the following day, Li promoted a “new security concept” incorporating comprehensive security, common security, cooperative security and candid dialogue.

Defense and security cooperation between China and Malaysia dates back to 2000 with the signing of a long-term cooperative framework agreement. This agreement included a defense clause calling for an exchange program of high-level visits, study tours, seminars, ship visits, and cooperation in training, research and development, and intelligence sharing. In addition, the agreement also called for cooperation between national defense industries to include reciprocal visits, exhibitions, seminars and workshops to explore the possibility of joint or co-production projects.

In September 2005, China and Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation covering personnel exchanges and training as well as an annual security dialogue. Later that year, Malaysia and China raised their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership at a summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur. This agreement included the promotion of information exchanges on non-traditional security issues, consultations in defense and security areas, and military exchanges. Since 2005, Malaysia and China have exchanged visits by defense ministers and hosted goodwill port calls by naval vessels.

The first China-Malaysia defense and security consultation was held in Kuala Lumpur in September 2012. It was co-hosted by the Secretary General of Malaysia’s Defense Ministry and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the People’s Liberation Army. This meeting agreed to continue high-level exchanges and cooperation in training and non-traditional security issues.

China-Indonesian defense cooperation dates to April 2005, when the presidents of China and Indonesia issued a joint declaration in Jakarta on building a strategic partnership. In May 2006, the two sides inaugurated an annual defense and security dialogue. Since then China and Indonesia exchanged visits by their defense ministers and hosted goodwill port calls by naval vessels.

In November 2007, China and Indonesia signed an important defense cooperation agreement that included sharing defense technology and arms sales. It was not until 2010, however, before the two sides adopted a Plan of Action to implement defense cooperation under the strategic partnership agreement. The two sides have since conducted joint exercises between their special forces. Indonesian pilots have trained in China on its Sukhoi flight simulators, and both sides have entered into co-production arrangements of C-705 anti-ship missiles. On October 1 this year, China and Indonesia held their fifth Defense Consultative Forum since 2007.

The raising of China’s relations with Indonesia and Malaysia to comprehensive strategic partnerships signals the importance of their economic relationship and growing interdependence. The defense and security aspects of this new relationship represent more continuity than change. China’s “new security concept” was first broached in 1997. Both Indonesia and Malaysia have proceeded cautiously in developing defense ties with China. This development should be welcomed for the experience it provides China in interacting with regional armed forces. Next year, Indonesia will host a joint naval exercise involving ASEAN members and their dialogue partners.

China’s proposal of Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation will have to be studied carefully. The present ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation is open to all external powers who adhere to its tenets. China’s proposed treaty appears exclusivist, aimed at drawing a circle around China and Southeast Asia.

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26 septembre 2013 4 26 /09 /septembre /2013 11:35
Asean map source Les Yeux du Monde

Asean map source Les Yeux du Monde

September 25, 2013 By Julio Amador III - thediplomat.com

 

The regional body will need to work hard, if it is to maintain its position at the center of Asia-Pacific power relations.

 

President Barack Obama’s upcoming participation in the East Asia, APEC, and the ASEAN-U.S. confabs in Southeast Asia during his October trip to the region will highlight important challenges that the region faces, particularly the role that small states play in great power relations. While analysts and scholars are still debating the relationship between the United States and rising China, the countries of Southeast Asia, independently and as ASEAN, already understand that the ultimate nature of relations between the two great powers will directly affect them. For that reason, they do not want to wait passively for the result, but are actively engaging the U.S., China and other external stakeholders to help shape the evolving regional order.

 

China seeks a new type of great power relationship with the U.S. that would give it almost-equal status to the latter in the global arena. Beijing is seeking assurances from Washington that U.S. policy will take Chinese interests into account. In Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, this would mean that China will have unspoken primacy in the same way that the U.S. enjoys an unchallenged role in the Western hemisphere.

 

Thus, China’s actions such as disputing Japan’s administrative control over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands by regularly dispatching maritime surveillance vessels to the surrounding area, taking over the Philippines’ Scarborough Shoal and attempting to take over Second Thomas Shoal, and maintaining a long-running dispute with Vietnam over the Paracels are alarming indications that it is willing to do what it takes to prevent violations of what it considers its sovereign territory.

 

Southeast Asia has generally enjoyed peaceful and productive relations with China. In fact, ASEAN and China have maintained a “strategic partnership” since 2003, which identifies numerous areas for cooperation. Earlier, in 2002, ASEAN and China concluded a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. As a geographic reality, ASEAN member states have had no choice but to find ways of working with China. The regional body has for that reason always sought to encourage China to play an active role in regional institutions in an attempt to “socialize” it to accepted norms.

 

Increasingly, though, China expects the respect due a great power, one that has now displaced Japan as the world’s second-largest economy. Yet while China may believe that it is destined to dominate Southeast Asia, most countries in the region would naturally prefer to retain their autonomy. That doesn’t mean they will oppose China directly; indeed, they are prepared to make certain concessions in some areas that do not affect their national interests. Many East Asian countries respect China’s economic wealth and dynamism. Respect, however, does not mean obeisance. Southeast Asian states do not wish to rely entirely on Beijing’s goodwill so they try to balance their engagement with China by engaging external powers through ASEAN and by bilateral means wherever possible.

 

In contrast, Southeast Asia is much more accepting of U.S. primacy in the region. There are three important reasons for this: U.S. respect for freedom of navigation, its role in preventing other powers from dominating the smaller countries in the region, and its lack of territorial ambitions in that area. The general transparency of U.S. policymaking is also helpful to Southeast Asian states in that they have an idea of how the U.S. will react to certain policy decisions that they might make. The U.S. rebalancing has been welcomed by many ASEAN countries as both an affirmation of the region’s importance, and also as representing a formal commitment to deeper engagement in the broader Asia-Pacific region.

 

Still, ASEAN as a whole does not want to be in a position that would force it to choose between Beijing and Washington. First, it has always sought to position itself as a neutral and credible platform for dialogue among great powers through entities such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus and various ASEAN Plus mechanisms. Second, there is always the fear that the U.S. commitment to the region will disappear once a new crisis erupts, especially in the Middle East. Even in the face of greater Chinese assertiveness in its territorial disputes in the South China Sea, ASEAN has refused to categorically take the side of its own members that have borne the brunt of Beijing’s displeasure. It is easy to imagine the chagrin this would cause the leaders of these member states, but ASEAN’s caution is also understandable.

 

Nevertheless, ASEAN has also been prodding Beijing to negotiate a Code of Conduct. While Chinese leaders have reiterated that they are in no rush to do that, there are efforts within ASEAN to get Beijing to commit to the process. Under Brunei’s chairmanship, ASEAN members were able to agree that they need to work together to make the code a reality. Singapore has also consistently called for a code of conduct and has raised the issue with multiple visiting Chinese leaders. Indonesia is keen to preserve ASEAN unity on the issue and has sought to create a middle ground that addresses the concerns of member states in any dispute with China, while avoiding outright schisms within the group. Even though Thailand is seen by some as aligning with China, Bangkok has nevertheless committed to working with other ASEAN member states on the code, even if it is not giving the issue too much emphasis.  

 

Member states are keen to have ASEAN remain as the center of the regional architecture. For that to happen, the body must maintain a delicate posture between the U.S. and China while at the same time engage with other powers such as Japan, Russia and India, to ensure that it has a say in the direction the region will take.

 

ASEAN’s task is made all the more difficult because foreign policy coordination is not a major strength of the association. Given that the ten member states have different strategic outlooks and threat perceptions, the job of coordinating a regional position falls to the chair, which rotates among the member states. The ability to resist external pressure is often dependent on the relative power of the chair. In Cambodia’s turn in 2012, it was widely perceived that Beijing had a tremendous influence on ASEAN’s deliberations through its Cambodian partners. Brunei’s chairmanship, however, has been different this year because its economic and political standing gave it more freedom to resist external pressure. It was thus able to generate a consensus on sensitive issues like the South China Sea.

 

For ASEAN to remain a credible facilitator of great power relations in the Asia Pacific, it must respond to two equally daunting challenges. First, it must create a true regional community that has a narrow development gap and a bustling economy. Only an ASEAN that can stand on and for its own will have the capacity to resist external pressure from the great powers. To achieve this, member-states must succeed in their goal of a united ASEAN community in 2015. This would further move them towards a community of states that take each other’s concerns as their own and that prioritize the rights of the peoples of ASEAN.

 

The second challenge is to move away from paper declarations, and avoid focusing excessively on process. ASEAN needs to demonstrate more progress in achieving its various goals, like the ability to absorb development assistance, implement agreements and introduce or sustain reforms for foreign direct investment. With more than four decades of evolution behind it, ASEAN cannot continue to hide behind noble, aspirational declarations while consistently failing to produce the goods. As citizens demand more accountability from their governments, increasingly aided by social media, ASEAN member states will need to reckon more and more with their peoples, whose interests may transcend state boundaries.

 

Centrality in the Asia Pacific’s existing regional architecture is something that ASEAN has earned, but can it keep it? If ASEAN member states realize that the period of papering over substantive issues such as territorial and maritime disputes is over and that these issues can no longer be separate from the overall exercise of community-building, then the body could indeed remain at the center of Asia-Pacific regionalism. If not, well, then the existence of the Trans-Pacific Partnership demonstrates that other regional arrangements can be set up sans ASEAN.

 

ASEAN’s central role in managing power relations in the Asia-Pacific is not a given, but must continue to be earned. Fail to do so and the great powers themselves will determine the future of the region. That would be a sad outcome for a regional body that has hitherto managed to keep a central position in the regional power web.

 

Julio Amador III is an Asia Studies Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington and Fulbright Graduate Student at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. 

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29 août 2013 4 29 /08 /août /2013 12:35
Hagel Issues Warning Over Asian Maritime Disputes

Aug. 29, 2013 - By DANIEL DE LUCE – Defense News

 

JERUDONG, BRUNEI — Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel warned fellow defense ministers Thursday that a growing number of maritime incidents and tensions in disputed Asian waters increases the risk of a dangerous international confrontation.

 

Hagel and his counterparts from Southeast Asia, China and six other countries wrapped up two days of talks in Brunei that took place as the United States prepares for an expected military strike against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons.

 

China has faced increasing accusations of bullying in asserting its claim to nearly the whole of the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by several Southeast Asian countries.

 

Elsewhere, Tokyo and Beijing have played cat and mouse in the East China Sea over disputed islands. Japan earlier this week scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese government plane approached airspace Japan claims as it own.

 

The US defense secretary warned his counterparts in Brunei that actions at sea to advance territorial claims “increase the risk of confrontation, undermine regional stability, and dim the prospects for diplomacy,” according to a prepared text of his remarks.

 

“All the countries are concerned that a more aggressive pursuit of claims could provoke a conflict,” a senior US defense official added.

 

Some ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proposed practical steps to avert conflict, including setting up a hotline between ASEAN states and China, measures to avoid collisions and an agreement on “no first use of force,” US officials said.

 

But the main diplomatic effort has centered on calls for a “code of conduct” for the South China Sea, a binding set of rules for a waterway believed to hold significant oil and gas deposits.

 

The United States has pressed the idea, which is also strongly supported by ASEAN as a whole.

 

But China’s defense minister, Gen. Chang Wanquan, voiced Beijing’s displeasure with the concept.

 

“The Chinese side has always advocated these problems should be handled by the countries directly,” he told reporters.

 

He added that “ASEAN is not a concerned party” to the disputes.

 

China has long said such disputes should be addressed only bilaterally between rival claimants and not under any multilateral umbrella. Analysts have said it wants to avoid facing a united ASEAN on the issue.

 

China has, however, said it was willing to engage in future “consultations” on the code of conduct issue.

 

Throughout a week-long tour of the region, Hagel has said territorial disagreements should be solved peacefully without coercion but has stopped short of directly criticizing China.

 

Hagel met Chang in Brunei on Wednesday after hosting him in Washington earlier this month.

 

US officials say military relations with Beijing have steadily improved over the past year, with the American and Chinese navies holding joint anti-piracy exercises in the Gulf of Aden.

 

The high-level American attention on Southeast Asia, including stepped-up US military aid, is part of an effort by Washington to shift its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific after a decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

But escalating Syrian tensions have repeatedly intruded on his trip, with the Pentagon chief conferring with European counterparts and White House advisers.

 

The Syria crisis came up at the gathering Thursday but was not a focus of the talks, officials said.

 

During his swing through the region, which included stops in Malaysia and Indonesia and will end with a visit to the Philippines, Hagel has said repeatedly Washington was committed to its Asia “rebalancing” despite Pentagon budget pressures and Middle East distractions.

 

His prepared text called the US commitment to the region “deep and unshakable.”

 

Underscoring Washington’s shift, Hagel invited ASEAN defense ministers to hold a meeting next year in the United States for the first time. They accepted.

 

The Brunei defense chief meetings grouped ASEAN members plus Japan, China, South Korea, the United States, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand.

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29 août 2013 4 29 /08 /août /2013 07:35
USA: Hagel Meets with ASEAN Defense Ministers in Brunei

29 August 2013 By Cheryl Pellerin / American Forces Press Service – Pacific Sentinel

 

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Aug. 28, 2013 – On the first day of Southeast Asia’s most important annual defense ministerial conference, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here with his counterparts from the 10 nations that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
 
On the sidelines, the secretary also took time for bilateral talks on the region and broader topics with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Brunei, Burma and China.
 
The ASEAN member states are Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. During lunch today and a meeting afterward, Hagel and the members discussed the need to advance practical cooperation to build trust and lower tensions throughout the region.
 
When Hagel was in Singapore in June attending the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting, he invited the ASEAN defense ministers to Hawaii in 2014 for an informal meeting -- their first in the United States. During the luncheon, all 10 ministers accepted his invitation.
 

 

“I’m obviously very pleased about that,” Hagel said today. “It will give us another opportunity to strengthen and deepen the relationship with our partners here in the Asia-Pacific.”
 
Hagel noted the need to continue progress toward peacefully resolving territorial disputes, and committed to continued U.S. support for ASEAN, including its Defense Ministers’ Meeting, or ADMM, as a strong organization for achieving shared goals and upholding the common good, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
 
During the meeting, a senior defense official said, each country expressed strong support for the steady U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific and viewed U.S. engagement in the region as a key contributor to peace and stability.
 
The representatives also expressed their support for continued active engagement by the United States in this part of the world, he said. “They see it’s essential for a peaceful stable environment and a prosperous environment around them,” the official added.
 
Brunei has served as chair of ASEAN this year, and yesterday Hagel met with Brunei’s energy minister, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin. Little said the secretary recognized Brunei’s strong leadership as ASEAN chair and organizer of the June joint exercise involving humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and military medicine. Burma will take over next year as ASEAN chair.
 
Tomorrow morning, Hagel will attend the ADMM-Plus ministerial conference, hosted by Yasmin and made up of the 10 ASEAN defense ministers and eight dialogue partners: the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia.
 
Senior defense officials said today that Hagel’s bilateral meetings were positive and productive.
 
During a meeting this morning with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Hagel was pleased to accept an invitation to visit Japan next year, and the two militaries agreed to establish a cyber defense effort together, a senior defense official said today.
 
“There’s a recognition that with both state and nonstate actors, cyber threats and thefts of intellectual property as well as penetrations of government and industrial networks are an increasing concern and there’s a need to cooperate and share information to deal with that,” the official said.
 
In other discussions, Little said, Hagel and Onodera exchanged views on the regional security environment, including North Korea's continued nuclear and ballistic missile developments.
 
Hagel said he looks forward during a visit to Tokyo in October to continued bilateral discussion on strengthening the alliance, and both men reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance in defending Japan and contributing to regional peace and security, Little added.
 
Both also expressed interest in continuing to modernize the alliance by enhancing their already strong security cooperation initiatives, the press secretary said.
 
“The U.S. very much appreciates Japan’s important role as a contributor to peace and stability in this region and the rest of the world,” Hagel told Onodera through a translator as the meeting began, “and I’m very much looking forward to my upcoming visit to Japan.”
 
Hagel also met today with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, thanking him for his friendship and reaffirming the United States’ enduring defense and extended deterrence commitments to South Korea. Little said Hagel told Kim it is a mutual duty to remain vigilant during this time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula.
 
The leaders discussed the importance of recent U.N. Security Council resolutions designed to limit North Korea’s progress on nuclear and missile programs, the press secretary said. The Defense Department is focused on fulfilling security commitments but Hagel said diplomatic efforts are fundamental to encouraging North Korea to pursue the path of peace, Little added.
 
Hagel will travel to the South Korean capital of Seoul in October to attend the annual Security Consultive Meeting, a senior defense official said, and as part of that trip will be able to help commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War with the country’s leaders.
 
Later today, during bilateral discussions with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh, Hagel accepted with appreciation an invitation to visit Vietnam in 2014 and through a translator wished the general a happy National Day, which the Vietnamese celebrate on Sept. 2.
 
Hagel expressed his commitment to growing the bilateral defense relationship with Vietnam and working on issues like maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and recovering the remains of U.S. personnel missing in action, Little said.
 
The secretary also conveyed his commitment to continuing to implement the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding for Advancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation, the press secretary added.
 
On regional security, Little said, the leaders noted the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in the South China Sea and welcomed steps to develop an ASEAN Code of Conduct to guide that process.
 
This afternoon, Hagel met briefly with Burma’s defense minister, Lt. Gen. Wai Lwin, expressing his support for Burma’s upcoming ASEAN chairmanship and telling the general that the department looks forward to supporting their efforts on ASEAN defense events next year.
 
A senior defense official noted that such a bilateral meeting at the defense minister level had not happened in more than 20 years with Burma, and that the meeting today is a “a sign of changes and the Obama administration’s very positive engagement with the Burmese, [as well as] recognition of the reforms that have been underway in that country and progress that’s being made on human rights.”
 
Hagel discussed with the Burmese defense minister the importance of continued progress on reform and said it’s also important that Burma sever military ties to North Korea, Little said.
 
Hagel applauded the Burmese military’s support for the government's democratic reform efforts and encouraged that the reforms continue.
 
Hagel also held a bilateral meeting with representatives from China.
 
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29 août 2013 4 29 /08 /août /2013 07:35
Les ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (Source VNA)

Les ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (Source VNA)

29/08/2013 vietnamplus.vn

 

La conférence élargie des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM+) s'est ouverte jeudi matin au Brunei pour discuter de la sécurité régionale et internationale.

 

Cet événement a réuni les ministres de la Défense et les hauts officiels militaires des 10 pays membres de l'Association des Nations d'Asie du Sud-Est (ASEAN), ainsi que des huit pays partenaires (Australie, Chine, Inde, Japon, Nouvelle-Zélande, Russie, République de Corée et Etats-Unis).

 

La délégation vietnamienne était conduite par le ministre de la Défense Phung Quang Thanh.

 

Lors de la conférence, les participants ont évalué les avancées réalisées depuis la première ADMM+ en 2010 à Hanoi, avant de définir des orientations pour les deux prochaines années.

 

Selon les experts, l'ADMM+ joue un rôle important pour le renforcement de la coopération et des dialogues en terme de défense et de sécurité entre l'ASEAN et ses pays partenaires, en faveur de la stabilité, de la sécurité, de la paix et du développement de la région. Ces 34 derniers mois, de nombreuses rencontres annuelles à divers échelons ont été organisées dans le cadre de l'ADMM+. Cette dernière est devenue une partie de la structure régionale de sécurité. Il s'agit d'un forum qui permet aux hauts officiels militaires de discuter de questions importantes et de créer un cadre pour la coopération multilatérale entre les armées des pays de la région.

 

La Déclaration commune de l'ADMM+ de 2013 sera rendue publique cet après-midi.

 

La prochaine conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM) aura lieu en 2014 au Myanmar. -VNA

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3 juillet 2013 3 03 /07 /juillet /2013 12:35
Défense: Vietnam et Nouvelle-Zélande promeuvent leur coopération

02/07/2013 vietnamplus.vn

 

Le vice-ministre de la Défense, le général Nguyen Chi Vinh, a reçu mardi à Hanoi l'ambassadeur de Nouvelle-Zélande, Haike Manning.

 

Le général Nguyen Chi Vinh a souligné que ces derniers temps, les relations de coopération dans la défense entre les deux pays ont connu de nouvelles avancées, notamment en termes d'échanges de délégation, de formation, de police maritime, de marine, ainsi que de partage d'expériences dans la participation aux forces de maintien de la paix de l'ONU.

 

En dehors des multiples secteurs de la coopération bilatérale, les deux pays se soutiennent aussi au sein de forums multilatéraux comme l'ADMM+ (Conférence des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN élargie) ou l'ARF (Forum régional de l'ASEAN).

 

M. Nguyen Chi Vinh est convaincu que dans ses fonctions, l'ambassadeur de Nouvelle-Zélande contribuera notablement au développement des relations de coopération entre les armées et les peuples des deux pays.

 

A cette occasion, M. Haike Manning a vivement apprécié la visite dans son pays du ministre vietnamien de la Défense, le général Phung Quang Thanh.

 

Le mécanisme de coopération en matière de défense a donné plusieurs opportunités de coopération en divers domaines entre les pays, a-t-il déclaré.

 

M. Haike Manning a affirmé faire de son mieux pour contribuer notablement au bon développement de la coopération bilatérale. -VNA

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13 juin 2013 4 13 /06 /juin /2013 07:35
ASEAN: le Vietnam parle sécurité et développement

12/06/2013 vietnamplus.vn

 

Une délégation vietnamienne, conduite par le général Nguyen Dinh Chien, chef de l'Institut de la stratégie de défense du ministère de la Défense, a participé au séminaire du Réseau des Instituts de défense et de sécurité de l'ASEAN (Network of ASEAN Defence and security Institutions-NADI) tenu mardi et mercredi à Kuala Lumpur (Malaisie).

 

Le général Nguyen Dinh Chine a présenté l'intervention "Le rôle central de l'ASEAN dans les relations avec les grands pays", où il a estimé que l'élargissement par l'ASEAN de sa coopération avec les grands pays dans la région l'avait aidé à maintenir un environnement de paix et de stabilité, à consolider la coopération et la confiance entre ses membres dans la politique et la sécurité, contribuant à promouvoir la tendance à la paix, à la stabilité, à la coopération et au développement dans la région, ainsi qu'à créer un nouveau lien entre l'ASEAN et ces pays.

 

Selon lui, l'ASEAN a valorisé et continue de valoriser le rôle d'une des forces majeures dans la promotion de la paix et de la stabilité dans la région par l'intensification de sa coopération avec ses partenaires via les cadres de coopération tels que l'ASEAN+1, l'ASEAN+3, l'EAS, l'ARF, l'ADMM+...

 

Ayant pour thème "Sécurité nationale et Développement : Base pour la Communauté de l'ASEAN", le séminaire s'est penché sur la sécurité et le développement, la sécurité et la stabilité, et la coopération dans la sécurité.

 

Une opportunité pour la cinquantaine de participants dont des spécialistes, chercheurs et analystes des pays membres de l'ASEAN de partager des informations et expériences, et de proposer des mesures et initiatives afin de faire face efficacement aux défis sécuritaires émergents dans la région. -VNA

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8 mai 2013 3 08 /05 /mai /2013 07:35
ASEAN : les ministres de la Défense réunis au Brunei

07/05/2013 VietnamPlus

 

Les ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN se sont rencontrés mardi à Bandar Seri Begawan, au Brunei, afin de discuter des mesures et actions propres à renforcer la coopération dans la défense et la sécurité au sein de cette association.

 

Sous le thème "Protéger ensemble nos populations et notre futur", cette 7e rencontre des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM) est destinée à promouvoir la confiance en approfondissant la compréhension mutuelle dans le domaine de la défense et de la sécurité, notamment en améliorant transparence et ouverture.

 

Cette conférence de trois jours privilégie en particulier le rôle des pays membres de l'ASEAN dans le processus d'édification de la Communauté de l'ASEAN ainsi que sur l'importance d'une ASEAN centrée sur l'homme en vue de regarder vers l'avenir.

 

Dans son discours d'ouverture, le ministre de l'Energie du Brunei, Haji Mohammad Yasmin, également président de l'ADMM, a appelé à une collaboration étroite pour relever les défis et maintenir un environnement de stabilité au service du progrès et de la prospérité dans la région.

 

Il a également salué la création d'un forum de dialogue ouvert aux partenaires de l'association, notamment dans le cadre de la Conférence élargie des ministres de la Défense de l'ASEAN (ADMM+).

 

L'ADMM, créée en 2006, a marqué un jalon important de l'histoire du développement de l'ASEAN en inaugurant un mécanisme de coopération officielle en matière de défense au sein de l'association.

 

Elle a adopté des initiatives de renforcement de la coopération dans ce domaine, dont l'ADMM+, le recours aux forces militaires pour l'aide humanitaire et la limitation des conséquences des catastrophes naturelles, la coopération entre établissements de défense et la société civile des membres de l'ASEAN en matière de défis de sécurité non-traditionnels, la coopération dans l'industrie de la défense de l'ASEAN, ainsi que la création d'un réseau de centres de maintien de la paix de l'ASEAN. - VNA

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28 novembre 2012 3 28 /11 /novembre /2012 13:15

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BadjlBd8x4/Trdj6bglMyI/AAAAAAAAAhk/wgR8UyLBpFE/s1600/South_China_Sea_Map.jpg

 

27 November 2012 By Sarosh Bana-  Pacific Ssentinel.

 

US President Obama was hard pressed to play the pacifist at a rather fractious ASEAN summit in Cambodia, where discussions on the maritime disputes of some of the grouping’s 10 members with China boiled over. The three-day annual summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations concluded on 20 November without resolving the dispute between these countries and a by far militarily superior China. The impasse thwarted the 45-year-old grouping’s efforts towards deepening cohesion within this economically vibrant region and its aspirations of transforming itself into an EU-like community by the end of 2015.
 
Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over almost the entire South China and East China seas have sparked disputes with its neighbours such as Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Apart from Japan and Taiwan, the rest are ASEAN member countries, as also Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. The bone of contention has been the various island enclaves, not of much value in themselves, but the possession of which would provide strategic, resource-rich continental shelves and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) that extend 200 nautical miles from the low-water shoreline.
 
Neither the United States nor China is a member of ASEAN, but each has votaries in the group. The flashpoint at the summit was the draft statement of the chairman – Cambodia, a staunch ally of Beijing – that pointed to a consensus against internationalising the South China Sea issue. This agitated the representatives of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, in particular, rose to challenge what he said was Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s attempt to preclude any debate on the territorial disputes and divert the focus onto economic issues instead.
 
Cautioning against allowing such disputes to escalate, Obama urged the gathering to take steps to ease tensions. He, however, avoided any talk on this issue in his meeting with outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the last day of the summit. Washington has nevertheless advocated a “code of conduct” that would avert any clashes in the disputed territories.
 
China has long held the position that whatever disputes that may arise should be resolved through consultations and negotiations by the concerned sovereign states. In Phnom Penh it, however, said it was open to debating the issue within ASEAN, though without the involvement of any other parties, an oblique reference to the United States.
 
Coincidentally or not, China’s maritime disputes with its neighbours in the littoral have been gaining global attention ever since Obama’s announcement in January 2012 of his country’s “pivot” strategy in the Asia-Pacific. These developments are posing a threat to this fastest growing economic region in the world and its vital waterways, confounding diplomatic efforts, rousing hostilities and heralding a geopolitical power struggle between the world’s two leading economies – the United States and China.
 
Further, anti-Japan street protests swept across China in September as the two largest economies in Asia sparred over a disputed island territory in the East China Sea which each claimed as its own. Potentially vast gas and oil fields have been estimated off the shores of the island, called Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan. The two neighbours strove to keep the naval conflict from spiralling, mindful of their entrenched commercial ties that have resulted in two-way trade reaching a record $345 billion last year, China being the biggest trading partner of Japan.
 
While the Asia-Pacific has hitherto been driven by commercial interests, the widening unrest in the sea lanes that are the lifeline of this region may eventually compel the validity of a military front on the lines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Much in the manner in which China’s growing might is being perceived today, the 28-member NATO had been founded in 1949 in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union, with its prioritised purpose having been to deter Soviet expansionism. NATO had codified cooperation in military preparedness among the allied signatories by stipulating that “an armed attack against one or more of them… shall be considered an attack against them all”.
 
Though Asia-Pacific countries are keen on safeguarding their territorial interests, they are at the same time anxious not to let regional conflicts flare into Asia’s next war. However, to lay the foundations of overall peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, a NATO-like security structure would need to be inclusive, having China within its ambit.
 
The return of Asia-Pacific to the centre of world affairs is the great power shift of the 21st century. This economically integrated region is traversed by half the world’s commercial shipping worth $5 trillion of trade a year. More than 4.2 billion people live there, constituting 61 per cent of the world’s population. And apart from straddling vital supply chains, it holds dense fishing grounds and potentially enormous oil and natural gas reserves, though at present it is a net importer of fossil fuels. Energy-hungry export-driven economies in the region, heavily dependent on raw material and fuel imports, are keen on exercising their suzerainty over the regional Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) that are critical to the survival of the entire Asia-Pacific community.
 
Washington’s “pivot” strategy is juxtapositioning its desire to be neutral with the imperative to raise its already formidable profile in the Asia-Pacific. Its numerous military bases in the region include 17 in Japan and 12 in South Korea, while it also has a presence in Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Guam and Singapore. Obama’s “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific entails the relocation of 60 per cent of America’s naval assets – up from 50 per cent today – to the region by 2020. The drawdown in Afghanistan, according to US deputy Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, will release naval surface combatants as well as naval intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and processing, exploitation, and dissemination capabilities, as also more Army and Marine Corps. EP-3 signals reconnaissance aircraft have already moved from CENTCOM (Central Command) to PACOM (Pacific Command). There will be a net increase of one aircraft carrier, seven destroyers, 10 Littoral Combat Ships and two submarines in the Pacific in the coming years. America’s military outpost of Guam is being readied as a strategic hub for the Western Pacific and Marines are being forward-stationed there. A full US Marine task force will also be established by 2016 in Australia, a key Asia-Pacific partner of the United States. The US Air Force will shift unmanned and manned reconnaissance aircraft from Afghanistan to the Asia-Pacific, apart from space, cyber and bomber forces.
 
The question remains whether this “rebalance” is aimed at containing China’s growing economic and military might or bolstering the American presence in the region. Beijing views Washington’s proposal as an attempt to curb Chinese influence across the region and to embolden countries to brazen out Beijing on the maritime disputes.
 
America’s concerted force multiplication in the region betrays the intent to forge some sort of a military front like NATO. “There is no multilateral organisation like NATO in the region,” notes Ashton Carter. “And in the absence of an overarching security structure, the US military presence has played a pivotal role over those last past 60 years, providing nations with the space and the security necessary to make their own principled choices.”
 
A NATO-like platform may not evolve soon, but appears inevitable in light of the rising volatility in the region. The similarities between now and at the time of NATO’s creation cannot be lost, notwithstanding the fact that the United States and China have very high stakes in their relationship, unlike the Cold War that had riven Washington and Moscow. Be that as it may, while announcing America’s renewed engagement in the Pacific, Secretary Clinton told the Pacific Islands Forum that “the Pacific is big enough for all of us”. There’s a lot of merit in keeping it that way.
 
Originally published by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (www.idsa.in) and can be found HERE.
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