US 'indispensable' in Asia: Singapore PM

US 'indispensable' in Asia: Singapore PM

The United States plays an "indispensable" role in Asia despite the rise of China and India and should be part of any new regional group, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday.

Lee, whose state is hosting this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, expressed hope that Washington would deepen engagement in the region despite worries over Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East.

"We believe America plays an indispensable role in Asia in many fields -- economic, political, strategic, security," he told a news conference.

"We've been talking about a multipolar world, but de facto the US is the most powerful nation in the world and will be so for some time to come."

US President Barack Obama, Lee and 19 other leaders including the presidents of China and Russia will gather in Singapore for the November 13-15 APEC summit.

Washington announced early Wednesday that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the APEC ministerial meeting scheduled for November 11-12, also in Singapore.

The United States will have a high-level presence at "the annual ministerial meeting which is a meeting of both Secretary Clinton and US chair (Ron) Kirk and their counterparts from the other 20 economies," senior US official Kurt Tong said.

Lee's comments came amid debate about the US role in various proposed free-trade zones and economic communities in the region.

At an Asian summit last month in Thailand, Japan spoke of its vision for an East Asian Community and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd outlined his idea for an Asia-Pacific Community.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was unclear on the extent of proposed US involvement but Rudd's vision includes Washington.

Diplomats say that Beijing meanwhile favours a free-trade zone comprising the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and South Korea.

APEC itself has a long-term goal -- a free-trade area extending from Chile to China.

Lee said Washington's role in Asia comes not only from its economic and military might, but also from its post-World War II contribution to a stable security environment that allowed Asia-Pacific nations to prosper.

"I think all (APEC) participants acknowledge that it is important for Asia, while it is working on regional cooperation, to also maintain an open and an inclusive framework of cooperation which does not exclude the US and does not exclude Europe," he said.

On the APEC agenda, the leaders are expected to discuss issues linked to long-term recovery from the global economic slowdown, Lee said.

"We'll be discussing how to work together to foster growth in the region, specifically more balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth... and also how we can further the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific," he said.

Efforts to revive the Doha Round of global trade talks will also be on the agenda, but APEC can only do so much to push for a successful conclusion, the prime minister said.

"It depends, in this case, particularly on a few countries -- India, China to a lesser extent (and) the United States to a considerable extent. We will have to see what they decide to do," Lee said.

"Without the impetus of Doha, the pressure and the temptation to do protectionist things becomes harder to resist," he warned.

MSN News.........