U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has gone on-record saying the United States is planning to increase its security spending as part of its strategic rebalance towards Asia and the Pacific.
Carter made the revelation while on a speaking engagement in the US before heading to Japan and South Korea in his first Asian trip, which kicks off tomorrow.
He said the relationship between China and the US is complicated, but that his side is resisting so called "zero-sum" thinking.
"Some people would have you believe that China will displace America in the Asia-Pacific, or that its economic growth will somehow squeeze out opportunities for young people like you. But I reject the zero-sum thinking that China's gain is our lost because there's another scenario in which everyone wins, and it is a continuation of the decades of peace and stability anchored by a strong American role, in which all Asia-Pacific countries continue to rise and prosper, including China. This is the scenario we seek in the ongoing rebalance."
In his announcement on Monday, Carter said the United States is opening a new phase of its strategic pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region.
"So as secretary defense I am personally committed to oversee the next phase of our rebalance, which will deepen and diversify our engagement in the region."
He also specifically emphasized the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, in the rebalance, which is expected to contribute more than 120 billion USD to the country's exports.
"But the TPP also makes strong strategic sense, and it is probably one of the most parts of the rebalance and that's why it has won such bipartisan support. In fact, you may not expect to hear this from the secretary of defense, but in terms of the rebalance in its broader sense, the TPP is as import to me as another aircraft carrier."
Carter's upcoming trip to Asia is the first of the two scheduled in April and May. A U.S. Defense Department statement said earlier that Carter's April trip would focus on strengthening and modernizing America's alliances in Northeast Asia.
For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.
