Beijing defends interests in Asia-Pacific

 BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhuanet) --Beijing on Thursday urged Washington to respect China's interests in the Asia-Pacific region as US Defense¹ Secretary Leon Panetta vowed², on the eve of his Asia trip, that the US will increase its military presence.

Although the US has insisted that its strategic shift to the region is not targeted at China, experts said Washington's deeds, including its plan to highlight the South China Sea issue at an annual regional security meeting at the weekend, exposed its true intentions.

They also reminded US officials to choose their words carefully to avoid denting³ Beijing's trust.

Asked about Panetta's Asian trip, Foreign Ministry⁴ spokesman Liu Weimin said at a news briefing on Thursday that China hoped the US would "play a positive and constructive⁵ role in the region''.

"We also hope the US will respect China's interests and concerns in the region,'' he added.

Panetta said before leaving the US on Tuesday that his trip to Vietnam, Singapore and India was aimed at remaining "vigilant⁶" in the face of China's growing military.

"China's military is growing and modernizing⁷. We must be vigilant. We must be strong. We must be prepared to confront any challenge," Panetta said when addressing graduates of the US Naval⁸ Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Still, he said the key to peace in the region is to develop a new era of defense cooperation with China.

He is also due to join a large high-ranking US delegation⁹ at the annual Asia security summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on Saturday. Defense ministers and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states will attend the forum¹⁰.

According to Pentagon officials, who briefed the media anonymously¹¹, Panetta is to deliver a major policy speech at the forum, "focusing on the Asia-Pacific, and the US role in the Asia-Pacific in light of the new strategy and rebalance''.

The South China Sea "will be something that's pretty high on people's minds during Panetta's trip'', a US official told the media.

The officials also said that the US defense secretary welcomes the opportunity to meet Chinese officials at the forum.

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a regular news briefing on Thursday that Beijing will send Lieutenant¹² General Ren Haiquan, vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Science, to lead the Chinese delegation at the dialogue.

He dismissed reports that China had deliberately¹³ lowered the ranking of its delegation, saying it followed normal arrangements based on scheduled commitments.

Yang did not exclude the possibility of a meeting between high-ranking Chinese officers and Panetta at the forum, and rejected reports that Panetta's Asia trip avoided China as Panetta has announced he will visit later this year.

However, the US defense secretary will have to watch his language in Singapore and Vietnam to avoid heightening Beijing's concerns that the renewed US strategic focus on Asia seeks to contain China's rise as a global power, Reuters quoted an expert as saying.

"It's ... important for the kinds of message that he wants to send, lest there be triggering responses on the part of the Chinese," said Jonathan Pollack, a China analyst¹⁴ at the Brookings Institution think tank.

"So words do count. And ... hopefully he (Panetta) will be careful about what he says.''

Panetta's visit follows the strategic shift toward Asia announced by US President Barack Obama last year, when the president announced plans to increase military presence in the region by 2017 despite cuts to the military budget.

Panetta specifically mentioned, in his Tuesday speech, strengthening alliances with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and the Philippines to safeguard American interests in the region.

Relations between Beijing and Manila plunged¹⁵ in April after Chinese vessels¹⁶ prevented a Philippine warship¹⁷ from arresting fishermen in Chinese territorial¹⁸ waters in the South China Sea.

Shortly after the incident, the US and the Philippines held a high-profile series of joint¹⁹ war drills. Over 7,000 troops took part in the exercises.

Panetta is expected to meet with defense officials from the Philippines during his trip.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino will visit the US on June 8.

The US is not only attempting to consolidate²⁰ ties with traditional allies but is also expanding its influence to new partners, Shi Yinhong, an expert on international relations with Renmin University of China, said.

"Although Washington denies its strategic shift is aimed at any one country, it is obvious that China is one of its concerns ... The shift shows that the US is taking strategic precautions against China,'' Shi said.

The strategic shift indicates that the US has concentrated more of its focus on China, said Liu Hui, an expert on American studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

3 denting   

v.使产生凹痕( dent的现在分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• Dad gave me a rocket for denting his car. 因为我撞坏了我父亲的车，为此他痛骂了我一顿。 来自互联网
• Because titanium isextremely strong, it is resistant to scratching, denting, and bending. 由于钛isextremely强，可耐刮伤，凹陷，和弯曲。 来自互联网

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

6 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

7 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

9 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

10 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

11 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

12 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

13 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

14 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

15 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

16 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

18 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

19 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

20 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。