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US committed to strengthening ties with Asean: Tillerson

SINGAPORE — The United States remains committed to South-east Asia and wants to step up its engagement with the region, America’s top diplomat Rex Tillerson has told his counterparts from Asean.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C) poses with ASEAN foreign ministers before a working lunch at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 4, 2017. Photo: Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (C) poses with ASEAN foreign ministers before a working lunch at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 4, 2017. Photo: Reuters

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SINGAPORE — The United States remains committed to South-east Asia and wants to step up its engagement with the region, America’s top diplomat Rex Tillerson has told his counterparts from Asean.

In his first ministerial meeting with all 10 members of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) on Thursday (Nat 4) in Washington, Mr Tillerson also called on nations with competing claims in the South China Sea to cease all island building and militarisation while talks aimed at creating a maritime code of conduct were under way.

Mr Patrick Murphy, US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said Mr Tillerson stressed Washington’s security and economic commitment to the region, amid doubts raised by President Donald Trump’s “America First” platform and withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact.

“The Secretary of State emphasised the region is a very important partner of the United States. Asean not only has 40 years of ties with the US, but for the past two years, has been a strategic partner, an elevation that took place in 2015,” said Mr Murphy in a conference call with journalists on Friday morning.

“We see opportunities to grow that relationship and it’s a relationship that has many dimensions,” he added, citing how Mr Trump’s agreement to attend two regional summits in the Philippines and Vietnam in November was a sign of the administration’s early commitment to the region.

In an earlier statement, the US State Department said the meeting hosted by Mr Tillerson reinforced the Strategic Partnership between the US and Asean on the 40th anniversary of US-Asean relations.

“Secretary Tillerson underscored that the Asia-Pacific region is a top priority for the Trump Administration and that Asean is an essential partner,” it said.

“Asean Ministers welcomed the continued commitment by the United States to Asean, including the Association’s community-building and regional integration efforts.”

One topic that featured dominantly in the talks between Mr Tillerson and his Asean counterparts was the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where China’s rapid island reclamation activities and construction of military facilities have heightened concerns of militarisation of the strategic waterway.

“He gave his counterparts and South-east Asia assurance that they can count on the US to assert our rights for unimpeded commerce and trade, and regional and global security and peace,” said Mr Murphy, adding that the US will continue to mount freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea through much US$4 trillion (S$5.6 trillion) in seaborne trade passes each year.

“The very specific goal that we have in the South China Sea is that all parties can work together to find an enduring solution and that not no single country should be in a position to coerce and bully (others) for its own interests. We would like to see an adherence to a rules-based order.”

Mr Tillerson also called on Asean countries to fully implement United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the US, and to show a united front on the issue, Mr Murphy said.

“He encouraged Asean to play a constructive role and shared that his view that this role is most constructive when Asean is unified,” Mr Murphy added.

Turning to US-Asean economic ties, he said Mr Tillerson told his counterpart that Washington is keen to step up engagement with the region.

“For the new administration here in Washington, South-east Asia is a very important region. This is a big market, our fourth largest trading partner,” he said.

On how Mr Trump’s pledge to address US’ trade deficits with other countries might affect economic cooperation, Mr Murphy said that Washington will engage the Asean countries bilaterally to discuss the issue.

“The US is not looking to impose solutions because we think the results of correcting these imbalances will have the net effect of increasing overall trade for the benefit of all parties,” he said.

“We are very much in favour of trade. We want to increase and strengthen trade, but it is not free trade, it is fair trade. And it’s important for US companies to have equal and fair access to markets, much like the US is open and free to many.” WITH AGENCIES

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