United States: We are not outsiders in Asia

MANILA, Philippines — Washington has addressed criticisms that it does not have a role to play in East Asia and has no say in its development and stability amid growing territorial tensions over the South China Sea.

In a speech on Saturday addressed to an influential Washington-based think tank, Michael Fuchs, the second top American policymaker in the region, justified President Obama's foreign policy and military pivot to Asia Pacific.

China has maintained that the US is not a party in its dispute with the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam and has pressed for President Xi Jinping's new security vision for Asia that rejects the leadership of a non-Asian power.

Related: Chinese media: 'US not reliable in Asia'

Fuchs said that the US has been "essential" to peace and prosperity in the region for decades, with its strongest naval force postured in the western Pacific.

"Some call us 'outsiders' and tell us not to intervene in regional issues," said Fuchs, United States assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

"But they ignore that for decades the United States has been a Pacific power, integral to regional peace and stability, and that our interests are directly affected by what happens across the Asia-Pacific," he said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' conference on the South China Sea.

Fuchs also denied that the US is half-hearted in its supposed rebalancing strategy given its role in the Middle East and European crises.

He also noted that the US has recently modernized its defense alliances with the forging of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the Philippines and the Force Posture Agreement with Australia.

Fuchs also cited "provocative actions, increased military spending, strident nationalism, and rehashing of painful history" as main concerns of the US.

"[These] make up a combustible mix that threatens the region's stability and its future prosperity," Fuchs said.

"These challenges highlight the need to strengthen the transparent, rules-based order and institutions that have helped the region thrive for decades," he added.

Besides defense and security, the US has improved in economic and people-to-people ties with Asian nations including China, Fuchs said.

"The best demonstration of our how the rebalance continues to move forward despite competing priorities is that the United States – our people, our businesses, and our security presence – is woven into the fabric of the Asia-Pacific," he said.

The US and China have recently concluded its economic and strategic dialogue in Beijing where both sides carried out a "candid and in-depth exchange" on economy, investment and finance but did not reach a consensus on the sea disputes involving the US' allies Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.