China proposes new security forum

China proposes new security forum

Cindy Sui, Agence France-Presse, Phnom Penh

China proposed on Wednesday the creation of a security forum
involving military personnel from Asia-Pacific countries, saying
it would aim at giving equal attention to the security concerns
of each country involved.

The move proposed to ministers and officials meeting here for
the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) appears to be an attempt at
countering the United States' growing pursuit of counter-
terrorism and other security-related pacts with ASEAN.

China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told the annual ARF
meeting in Phnom Penh that China wanted increased participation
by defense officials in ARF via the creation of a "Security
Policy Conference" under the ARF umbrella.

"This will greatly enhance mutual trust among countries and
contribute to regional peace and stability," Li told the 23-
member ARF.

"In this context, China suggests that the ARF could convene a
Security Policy Conference at an appropriate time to be attended
mainly by military personnel."

No date was suggested on when such a gathering -- which would
prop up China's goal of balancing U.S. dominance in world affairs
-- should be held.

The proposal comes as Washington aggressively pushes for ASEAN
countries to back its policies on troubling issues such as North
Korea, Myanmar and counterterrorism.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue later told reporters
that the proposal formed part of a new security concept China has
been promoting for years.

Taking a veiled swipe at the U.S.'s pursuit of national
security, Zhang charged that some countries were focusing only on
their security interests and the new concept would instead give
play to everyone's concerns.

"An interesting point of this security concept is guaranteeing
one's own security interests through everyone's common security,"
Zhang said.

"We shouldn't try to achieve absolute security for oneself and
threaten other parties' security. That actually doesn't
necessarily guarantee one's own security."

U.S. plans to build a missile defense system have particularly
irked China, which sees it as potentially provoking a global arms
race.

Beijing fears such a system could be expanded to shield its
archrival Taiwan, for whom Washington already provides military
support.

That would seriously challenge China's ability to reunite with
the island, which Beijing insists must happen eventually, by
force if necessary, despite the fact Taiwan separated from the
mainland at the end of a civil war in 1949.

Beijing has also insisted its ally North Korea has legitimate
security concerns, such as being attacked by the United States,
and that those concerns should be addressed as well as
Washington's demands that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons
program.

Its proposed new conference would give all countries an
opportunity to present their concerns and thereby reduce tensions
through dialog, Zhang said.

China said it was also necessary to have a platform to discuss
security issues given increasing non-traditional security threats
such as terrorism.

Li urged ARF members to "eliminate" the threat of terrorists
and religious extremists, and reiterated China's claims that
people fighting for independence in certain countries also should
be targeted.

"Local separatist forces in some countries are equally
detrimental to stability. China firmly supports other countries
in this region in their endeavors to safeguard national
unification and combat separatism," Li said.

China wants other countries' support in its crackdown against
ethnic Uighur Muslim separatists who have pushed for an
independent state in its western Xinjiang region.