Jagdishor Panday
Washington DC, November
The US official said that they have been committed to this region for well over 70 years since World War II and even before World War II and the US has a vested interest in maintaining security, stability, free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking with South Asian Journalists during the 'Amplifying the Indo-Pacific Strategy program, the Defense official said as a Pacific nation with tremendous regional interests, the United States is committed to the protection and defense the territory of the United States, its people, and interests in the region.
"It's important that we understand that there's a lot of common ground out here for us, that the US, yes we have interests here but we have common interests, we have a common interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific, in access to free markets, in access to free and open navigation to freedom from coercion, freedom from any type of fear," the official said.
The defense official said that for over 70 years the US has been committed to this region again even beyond that and that this has allowed many nations to prosper, including China, including Vietnam, including Japan, Korea, many nations throughout the region. Singapore, Thailand.
"What this shows is that all these nations despite very different cultures, very different backgrounds, different governments even, that there's not just one path to the success, there are many paths, there are many opportunities, there are many choices that can be made that allow prosperity as long as you have an open, transparent system and a rules-based system that people understand what those rules are and can then follow them and be a part of them," official said.
"As long as nations want to join that system and be part of it, everybody has the opportunity to prosper. And that's what I feel our job in INDOPACOM (the entire Indian ocean) is, is to ensure that security and to ensure those free and open pathways, lines of commerce, and transit throughout the region," the official said.
"Whether those are air, or maritime, or what they may be. I don't believe that there is just one choice, there is no one system. There are many systems there are many choices, there are many opportunities as long as that system is open to all. We've learned many of those lessons from World War II, the reason World war II came was that of impressive imperialist regimes that we didn't agree with but yet we were willing to take and partner with those people afterward and build a very prosperous system."
The defense official also said that it's not necessarily against anyone culture or people; it's against closed and authoritarian regimes that we have concerns with, and we always have as American people.
Official added, "The other piece of these international systems is that they're fair to all and that we support that and as INDOPACOM we feel that this area is part of our responsibility. We have very clear interests in the region and I don't think those are going to go away.
I know for a fact they're not going to go away, we have remained committed to the Pacific for well over, a strong commitment for well over a century and even beyond that we've had interest in the Pacific as the United States."
Speaking on partnerships, the Defense official said the other piece of it to that has been key to American engagement from World War II on is multilateralism and working with partners, working with allies.
"We prefer to do things in a multilateral environment, whether that was the creation of NATO which is one of the most successful and enduring alliances that we've seen in history to commit to other alliances and partnerships within the Pacific region to commit to doing things within a multilateral way with multiple nations," the official said.
The defense official said the other piece of this too is the US is in no way trying to create us vs them (China). "We don't want to create a choice between any two nations. The Chinese Communist Party PRC comes out and says hey, the US is trying to force a choice between nations and I don't think we are. We're trying to create an open environment where nations are free to choose what's right for them and what's right for their future and help build that. We do that by working, by creating many options, and many multilateral opportunities," the official said.
The defense official said that the US is not trying to create a choice between one of the other, and if anything, that as China talks about their One belt, One Road, that in itself is telling that it's one belt, it's one road, and often goes one direction. And that one direction is often in favor of what the Chinese Communist Party is looking for, not necessarily always in the benefit of a greater community of nations.