Mattis to focus on North Korea at Asian forum as allies seek clear U.S. policy

[krzepice1976]

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is expected to press for greater cooperation to contain North Korea's nuclear and missile threat at a regional security forum in Singapore later this week, where for years Washington has sought to spotlight China's expansion in the strategic South China Sea.
President Donald Trump has actively courted Chinese support on North Korea and abandoned an Asia-Pacific trade pact soon after taking office in January. That has raised concerns among Southeast Asian allies in the lead up to the annual Shangri-la dialogue starting on Friday that Washington might allow China a freer rein elsewhere in the region

A U.S. Navy challenge to China's South China Sea claims last week may have allayed some of the concerns over broader American engagement. But Asian officials and diplomats are still hoping for a clearer articulation of Trump's policy when Mattis speaks in Singapore on Saturday.
Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said that while Mattis' focus would have to be on North Korea, perhaps Trump's most pressing security worry, it was important for him to lay out a broader policy to ease worries.
"The region will pay very close attention ... and the goal for Secretary Mattis should be to clearly enunciate the policy of the United States towards the Asia-Pacific," he said.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that in Singapore Mattis would likely stress the threat posed by North Korea and the importance of Asia-Pacific countries working together to counter its weapons programs as the United States negotiates with China and others to toughen sanctions on Pyongyang.
While Mattis' speech was still being worked on and could change, concerns about North Korea, one official said, would inevitably mean less emphasis on China's fortifying of artificial islands in the South China Sea. The building of islands is seen as a move by China to solidify its contested claims in the sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
U.S. officials and diplomats say that in spite of Trump's overtures to Beijing, China still appears reluctant to agree to tougher sanctions unless North Korea escalates tensions further by conducting another nuclear test or a launch directly related to its ICBM program.
Asian officials say lingering worries about Trump's direction have been fueled by his unpredictable personal approach to policymaking and his emphasis on his chemistry with Xi.
A source familiar with Japanese government thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was worrying that Trump had still not managed to appoint senior officials for Asia at the Pentagon and the State Department, a sign that it would be difficult to implement policy decisions.
An Asian diplomat said much remained uncertain and all at Shangri-la would be listening especially closely to Mattis for clues.
"We want to know, will the United States remain committed to the region?” the diplomat said
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[krzepice1976]

Additional info which is important to understand situation

The U.N. Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang's only major ally China since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing China aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbor, warning that all options are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

The United States has struggled to slow North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang's vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
....
The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council's North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council's unhappiness with Pyongyang's defiance of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile launches.
....
Within days the United States proposed to China that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its repeated missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other council members.
Diplomats said it appeared China was still only likely to consider additional strong new U.N. sanctions measures, such as an oil embargo, a ban on Pyongyang's airline or tougher economic sanctions, if North Korea conducted a long-range missile launch or another nuclear test.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-un-idUSKBN18T2X3?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

 

[krzepice1976]

Defense Secretary James Mattis sought patience from Asian nations reeling from President Donald Trump’s “American First” policy moves, insisting that the U.S. would continue to expand its engagement in the region.
Mattis used his speech at the Shangri-La security forum in Singapore on Saturday to affirm U.S. alliances that he said had helped keep the peace for decades in Asia. To underscore the point, he urged China, the region’s rising power, to help rein in North Korea and warned it against showing “contempt” for other nations by asserting its claims to the South China Sea.
“The United States will continue to adapt and continue to expand its ability to work with others to secure a peaceful, prosperous and free Asia, with respect for all nations upholding international law,” Mattis said. “Because we recognize no nation is an island, isolated from others, we stand with our allies, partners and the international community to address pressing security challenges together.”
Mattis said that Americans have historically been reluctant to bear the world’s burdens and urged nations to give them time.
Bear with us, once we’ve exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing,” he said, paraphrasing an oft-quoted remark. “We will still be there. We will be there with you.”
To that end, Mattis said in his speech that the U.S. wouldn’t allow smaller Asian nations to become bargaining chips. He said the U.S. would continue to move military personnel and assets into the region, a process begun under former President BarackOur primary effort remains strengthening alliances,” Mattis said. “This protects and promotes the principles we share with our steadfast allies. History is compelling on this point: nations with strong allies that respect one another thrive and those without stagnate and wither.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-03/actions-must-follow-china-s-words-on-north-korea-mattis-says-j3glipq8

 

[krzepice1976]

Speaking at the dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, Mattis said the United States remained fully engaged with its partners.
"Like it or not, we are a part of the world...What a crummy world if we all retreat inside our borders," he said.
"Once we have exhausted all possible alternatives, the Americans will do the right thing," Mattis added, paraphrasing a quotation by British wartime leader Winston Churchill. "So we will still be there and we will be there with you."
The Trump administration is encouraged by China's renewed commitment to work with the international community toward denuclearization," Mattis said.
Ultimately, we believe China will come to recognize North Korea as a strategic liability, not an asset."
However, Mattis said seeking China's cooperation on North Korea did not mean Washington would not challenge Beijing's activities in the South China Sea.
China, which sent only a low-key delegation to the forum,
said its ties with the United States were vital for the region.
"I believe that if China and the United States can ensure no conflict, as well as maintain mutual respect, cooperation and trust, it will contribute greatly to security in the Asia Pacific and the world," Lt Gen He Lei, the head of Beijing's delegation, told reporters.
"I believe that if China and the United States can ensure no conflict, as well as maintain mutual respect, cooperation and trust, it will contribute greatly to security in the Asia Pacific and the world," Lt Gen He Lei, the head of Beijing's delegation, told reporters.
While competition between the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies, is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable," Mattis said.
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