Panetta wants more US access to Vietnam harbor

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PANETTA_VIETNAM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-06-03-07-57-19

CAM RANH BAY, VIETNAM (AP) -- From the flight deck of the USNS Richard E. Byrd, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta could look out across Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay towards the South China Sea.

A day after laying out details of the Pentagon's new focus on the Asia-Pacific region, Panetta used a visit to Vietnam to restate the United States' intent to help allies in the region develop and enforce maritime rights in the sea, a waterway largely claimed by China. And he reflected on the significance of the harbor, which represents both a painful past for the American military, and a challenging but hopeful future.

"The new defense strategy that we have put in place for the United States represents a number of key elements that will be tested in the Asia-Pacific region," Panetta told reporters gathered Sunday under a blazing sun on the deck of the cargo vessel. He said the U.S. would "work with our partners like Vietnam to be able to use harbors like this as we move our ships from our ports on the West Coast towards our stations here in the Pacific."

Panetta never mentioned China as he spoke to crew members on the Byrd and later to reporters. But with the South China Sea as a backdrop, he made it clear that the U.S. will maintain a strong presence in the region and wants to help allies protect themselves and their maritime rights.



***the past is never really dead.

[lunatica]

1. So when China decides to collect on it's debts we can just

tell them to talk to the American Naval Fleet in the Pacific first.

The past is never dead if you do everything to keep it alive.

Sigh...

[1-Old-Man]

2. "Richard E. Byrd"?

We have a boat named after someone named "Richard E.Byrd"? Who was he?

[xchrom]

4. Richard E. Byrd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_E._Byrd

Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN (25 October 1888 – 11 March 1957) was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights, in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. Byrd claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach the North Pole and the South Pole by air. His South Pole claim is generally supported by a consensus of those who have examined the evidence. Byrd was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for heroism given by the United States.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

3. Another "free-trade" agreement, one that includes Viet Nam, is not going to help this country.

[Historic NY]

10. Vietnam has permanent normal trade relations with the US since 2006.

An agreement reached in 2001 resulted in lowered tariffs on goods traded between Vietnam and the United States, and is the same favorable tariff rate applied to most favored nations such as Europe, Japan and other WTO members.


Before the trade agreement was in place, Vietnam imposed a surcharge of up to 100 percent on imports of products from countries with which it did not have normal trade relations. Japan and European Union member states already have extended Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status to Vietnam, and their companies are exempt from the surcharge.


In July 2004, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Josette Sheeran Shiner confirmed that Washington had offered to support Vietnam's bid to join the WTO. Vietnam first applied for WTO membership in 1995, but needed to reach bilateral deals with any member that requested them before being accepted to the organization. Trade Representative Shiner indicated that the bilateral trade pact of 2001 between the United States and Vietnam was a significant sign that Vietnam was serious about WTO membership, as it required the nation to liberalize its market access and meet international standards on investment, trade and financial transparency.

In August 2004, Vietnam announced that it would be reducing tariffs to an average of 18 percent, and holding bilateral talks with more than 20 WTO members in an effort to accelerate its accession to the WTO. Bilateral deals on its WTO accession terms have been concluded with 22 members, including all of Vietnam's major Asian and European trading partners. Vietnam completed deals with Canada, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Switzerland, among others, in 2005.

http://www.calchamber.com/headlines/international/pages/12122006ts.aspx

[KG]

5. 'new defense strategy' = protecting the off-shoring of american jobs. almost ironic.

[think]

6. +1 The military protects multi-national corporate interests and we pay the bill...

[bemildred]

7. Last time was the tragedy, this time it's the farce. nt

[xchrom]

8. Moliere - where are you? Nt

[kentuck]

9. Only more evidence...

that we lost the Vietnam War.

[unhappycamper]

11. Leon the P also plans to send 60% of US Navy's fleet to the Pacific by 2020.

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-06-03-AS-US-Pacific-Pivot/id-7e86a2d24ff540ada82291d348012854

US tries not to make waves with 'Pacific Pivot'
Jun. 3, 2012 1:16 AM ET
By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — As the United States moves to bolster its military position in Asia, it faces severe budget cuts from Congress, an increasingly powerful rival in China and a hornet's nest of regional political sensitivities.

The shift in U.S. policy puts Asia and the Pacific front-and-center of its strategic priorities and is driven by concerns that China has raced ahead in the world's most economically dynamic region while the U.S. was tied up fighting its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But in a region rife with disputes and increasingly beholden to China's economic engine, the Pentagon is being careful its "pivot to the Pacific" doesn't create too many waves.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is spearheading the U.S. effort to sell the new strategy in Asia, told regional defense leaders at a major security conference in Singapore that it is only natural for the Asia-Pacific to be in the spotlight because it is home to some of the world's biggest populations and militaries.

Before moving on to Vietnam and India, Panetta said Washington will "of necessity" rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region and vowed 60 percent of the Navy's fleet will be deployed to the Pacific by 2020. He said the U.S. presence will be more agile, flexible and high-tech. Troops may increase overall, but no major influx is expected.



unhappycamper comment: I hope sequestration takes place so we can stop this nonsense.