"Territorial disputes in Asia could turn into war"

That was the comment of US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta before he arrived in Japan to begin his Asia-Pacific tour.

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Photo: AFP

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Panetta called for restraint amid rising tensions over sovereignty disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

"I am concerned that when countries engage in provocative activities of one kind or another with respect to the islands, it increases the likelihood of misjudgment by one side or another and could lead to violence and conflict," AFP quoted Mr. Panetta as saying. "And that conflict has the potential to spread."

The US defense secretary’s visit to Japan coincides with a deterioration in relations between Tokyo and Beijing over the Senkaku Islands, known in Japan as the Diaoyu Islands, or Diaoyu in China. Sino-Japanese relations began to fray last month when a group of Hong Kongers visited one of the islands in the Senkaku/Diaoyu chain. They were detained by Japanese authorities but later released. A few days later, a group of Japanese people raised the Japanese national flag on the same island, prompting a protest from China.

The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands are in the East China Sea, about 400 km from Naha, the main city in Japan's Okinawa island chain, and about 200 km from Taiwan.

Panetta said he and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both called on countries involved in maritime disputes to work together to find ways to peacefully resolve the issues. The US defence secretary also predicted that economic competition would lead to more tensions in the future, involving areas believed to be rich in resources in the Asia-Pacific region.

Panetta’s trip is part of the Obama administration’s effort to shift the US military and diplomatic focus to Asia, in the context of China’s growing power. However, public opinion is skeptical that the Pentagon has enough resources to effectively exert influence in Asia, especially when the US faces consecutive crises in the Middle East.

According to VnExpress.net - DT