米、アジア太平洋戦略「強く」推進　ウクライナ危機でも方針固持

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】米国のジョー・バイデン大統領は２９日、ロシアのウクライナ侵攻によって引き起こされた危機に対処する中でも、米国はアジア太平洋地域での戦略を「強く」推進していると述べた。（写真は米首都ワシントンのホワイトハウスで会談するジョー・バイデン大統領（右）とシンガポールのリー・シェンロン首相）
　シンガポールのリー・シェンロン首相をホワイトハウスの大統領執務室に迎えたバイデン氏は、世界の「ルールに基づく秩序」は「前例のない課題」に直面しているが、米国はウクライナ危機により脱線することはないと説明。「欧州の危機に対処していても、米政権はインド太平洋戦略の実施を迅速に進めることを強く支持する」と述べた。
　また、バイデン氏は米国を「誇り高きインド太平洋国家」と表現。中国が国際貿易路の支配強化を試みているとの米政府の懸念を念頭に、「自由で開かれた」インド太平洋を維持したいと述べた。
　貿易ハブであるシンガポールは、米中両国と良好な関係を維持することを望んでいる。リー氏は、バイデン氏が「中国はもちろん、中国以外の国とも」関係を深めることを望むとし、米国と東南アジア諸国連合（ＡＳＥＡＮ）とのより緊密な関係構築を要請した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/30-09:58）

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States is forging strongly ahead on its growing Asia-Pacific priorities, despite the crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Hosting Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Oval Office, Biden said the world's rules-based order faces unprecedented challenges, but that Washington has not been distracted by the Ukraine war.
Even as we address the crisis in Europe, my administration is strongly supportive of moving rapidly to implement the Indo-Pacific strategy, Biden said.
Describing the United States as a proud Indo-Pacific nation, Biden said he wanted to ensure that the region remains free and open -- a reference to what the White House sees as attempts by rising power China to dominate international trade routes.
Lee urged closer ties between the United States and the ASEAN grouping, saying it helps the US to be present in the Asia-Pacific and to deepen its relations with many friends and to strengthen its strategic interests in the region.
Reflecting Singapore's position as a trading hub eager to maintain good relations with both Beijing and Washington, Lee said he hoped Biden would deepen relations with China certainly, but also other countries besides China.
At a joint media appearance, the two leaders underlined the message, with Biden saying they were jointly pursuing a free and open Indo-Pacific, an Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous and more secure.
Lee said Singapore deeply appreciates America's commitment to Southeast Asia and has consistently supported a strong US presence in the region.
- Ukraine invasion looms -
The Biden administration has repeatedly characterized the Asia-Pacific region, and particularly the rise of communist China, as the number one strategic issue for the United States.
The world's two biggest economies are at loggerheads over trade, human rights and, more broadly, what Biden often portrays as a defining struggle in the 21st century between the globe's autocracies and democracies.
But concerns about China have been pushed to the back burner by the emergency in Europe, where Russia's military is in its second month of attacking neighboring, pro-Western Ukraine in a crisis more reminiscent of the Cold War.
Even the alarming acceleration of North Korea's nuclear program -- including testing an intercontinental ballistic missile last week -- has been overshadowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's bloody campaign.
Inevitably, the Russian war against Ukraine loomed large over Lee's visit.
Singapore announced in February it was joining other pro-Western powers in imposing sanctions on Russia, including blocking financial transactions.
The wealthy city-state rarely sanctions other countries without UN backing, but Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan cited the unprecedented gravity of the crisis.
And Russia's attack on Ukraine, which Putin says he wants to demilitarize, has deeply shocked US allies beyond Europe, including Australia and Japan.
The war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia-Pacific. There are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in our region too, which, if not managed well, could escalate into open conflict, Lee said.
This echoed the assessment of a US official, who told reporters that Putin's shredding of international borders poses a threat not only for Europe, but also for the Indo-Pacific.
But while the official described Singapore and other regional powers as stepping up, India has pointedly refused to condemn Russia's war, while Western officials fear China could actively help the Russians.