US Realistic Strategic Interest Lies in Asia-Pacific Region

Recent statistics show that the United States has already emerged from its most serious economic recession for the past 70 years. While President Barack Obama was happy to note that the US economy has turned better, he also maintained his cool. He warned: "Before the economy is fully recovered, we still have a long way to go."
The global financial and economic crisis triggered by the US financial sector has not only inflicted heavy losses on the US economic entities, it has also brought economic disaster to countries of the world. This round of economic and financial crisis has also dealt a blow to the international image of the United States. Meanwhile, the emergence of other new economic bodies such as China, India, and Brazil has signified that the international world order will soon undergo a major adjustment. How the United States can continue to maintain its world superpower status and how the United States can continue to play an important role to maintain the present international rule and order amid the fast changing global environment is going to be a critical challenge for the decisionmakers in Washington.

Major International Reserve Currency
When Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was in the United States recently, he gave the United States a gentle reminder that the United States was still the world's largest economy and ultimately the largest trade market. Lee said that the dollar was still the major international reserve currency; but no matter what challenges it faced, the United States must continue to maintain its position as a superpower in the Pacific region in order to protect its core interests.
Lee also said that if the United States did not continue to maintain contact with the Asia-Pacific region, its role in the world would be weakened. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's gentle reminder to Washington leaders is indeed like a morning bell that wakes the United States up.

Momentum of US Economic Recovery
Yet, as we observe the momentum of US economic recovery from a distance, we cannot help but to comment that in addition to the fact that President Obama and his administration's economic rescue measures have produced results, the US economic recovery also symbolizes the inherent superiority of the US system -- its openness and power structures, the arrangement of its mutual checks and balances, the internal vitality of the nation to carry out self-correction of errors -- all these factors have given the United States the ability to repair the damage.
For sure, the US superpower status is achieved through its economic and military power of comprehensive national strength and also through this self-correcting dynamism. The vitality of this self-correction nature of the United States has also reflected in its political and foreign policy.

Discarding Previous Unilateral Attitude
In dealing with Iraq, Iran, Myanmar, and North Korea, the new US Government has gradually discarded its previous unilateral attitude and instead tried to take a more balanced and orderly steps to deal with its diplomatic disputes with these countries.
Such change of attitude will not only help restore the US leadership in the international community and it will also allow the United States to contribute to peace and stability in the region.

Development in Asia-Pacific Region
With the rise of China and India, the world's driving force of development is obviously slanting from the Atlantic to the Pacific slope. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's address in Washington was his insight into the trend of the development in the Asia-Pacific region. His address served as a gentle reminder to the United States. Minister Mentor Lee also mentioned that Chinese leaders have considered that their best strategy is to build a strong and prosperous future and use their huge and increasingly highly skilled and educated workers to outsell and outbuild all others.
China would, therefore, avoid any action that would affect its relations with the United States. As such, Minister Mentor Lee believed there would be cooperation and competition in China-US relations. He said that while competition between China and the United States was inevitable, there would not be disputes between the two countries.

Maintain Superpower Status
If the United States wants to maintain its superpower status in the Pacific region, how Washington can best handle China-US ties will obviously be the most crucial key for the United States to think about.
Moreover, the influence of China, the country that advocates peaceful coexistence and peaceful development has growing steadily and won the friendship and trust of majority of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and also that on the basis of mutual benefit, neighboring countries of China have also accepted China as an emerging power in this region. As a matter of fact, most of the Asian countries also welcome the great trade opportunities China's development brought to the region.

China Factor
Meanwhile, China has also become more confident through the steady growth of its national power. Xu Caihou, vice chairman of China's Federal Military Commission who was in the United States for an official visit recently, pointed out four obstacles in the US military strategy that hampered China from trusting the United States. The remarks by Xu Caihuto senior US government officers have shown that in China-US military ties, China has begun to take the position to take its own stance instead of allowing the United States to advance in military advantage. Xu has asked the United States to reduce and eventually halt air and sea military surveillance close to China's shores of the exclusive economic zone. Such remarks will raise the eyebrows of those US military crews who have been patrolling along the Asia-Pacific Ocean since the end of the Second World War.

Realistic Strategic Interest
We notice that the rise of great powers seemed to have a close link with military conflict. Before the Second World War, the rise of Germany and Japan had left a bitter lesson in world history. But China has proposed an overall strategy of peaceful development. This is in line with the interest of the United States and China in the long run. Such development is what the countries in the region will like to see happening. This is the long-term goal of China. The realistic strategic interest has prompted the United States to continue serving as a superpower in the Pacific region.
However, there is a long way for the United States to go as well. But seeking peaceful coexistence with China is without any doubt one of the military strategies the United States should materialize to make its superpower status in the Asia-Pacific region meaningful.