An Asia-Pacific century

It’s the 21st century, and it’s going to be an Asian century. Make that an Asia-Pacific century; the giant on the eastern side of the ocean intends to remain a principal player on the global stage.

The giant has a new man in Manila. His job has taken him all over the planet, but when Philip S. Goldberg arrived in this country in November, it was the first time in his 57 years that he had set foot on Philippine soil.

Goldberg, who has never been posted in East or Southeast Asia, asked for this assignment, emphasizing that he of course needed the approval of senior officials in Washington.

“It’s a negotiation, like a framework agreement. I’m fascinated by Asia and the rise of Asia in our foreign policy,” Goldberg told me yesterday in his office at the US embassy.

The ambassador of one of the advanced economies told me it was significant that Washington picked a senior career diplomat with the rank of assistant secretary to head its mission in Manila.

This indicated the importance attached to the Philippines by Washington in its pivot or “rebalancing” to Asia, the ambassador said.

I don’t know if the ambassador is reading too much into recent US moves in this region. Looking at Manila Bay from the balcony of his office, Goldberg told me that being chosen as ambassador to the Philippines “has and continues to be one of the great appointments in our Foreign Service.”

The rebalancing will certainly be high on the agenda of Goldberg, who calls his new posting “my own personal pivot to Asia.”

He was previously posted in South Africa, Colombia, Bosnia, Chile, Kosovo and Bolivia.

The US pivot from deep engagement in the Middle East and North Africa is seen as an effort to confront the challenges posed by a China that has grown exponentially in economic and military strength right in the backyard of Uncle Sam.

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Like other US officials, Goldberg prefers to see China as a partner rather than a threat, despite Washington’s strong condemnation of Beijing’s unilateral moves to stake its claims over disputed waters and airspace.

“I think in many respects China is a partner,” Goldberg told me. “We work together on many international issues, on North Korea, on the Iran nuclear program. We have a tremendous business and trade relationship with China.”

As in any such relationships, he emphasizes, there is going to be competition, “but we want a partnership.”

“China is a rising country in so many ways and we, the Philippines, ASEAN, all the countries in the world want a good relationship with China,” he said. “It’s important for our economies. At the same time, it’s important for our businesses.”

Goldberg, however, stressed that China must also work with the rest of the world, based on international rules, as the country rises. And there will be times when governments will express concern about certain Chinese activities, he added.

In dealing with challenges in the region, Goldberg said, “the US will support our principles and out treaty allies, of which the Philippines is one.”

He is overseeing his government’s negotiations with the Philippines on increased US rotational presence here. What does it mean exactly?

Goldberg won’t discuss details of the negotiations, except to repeat over and over that his government is interested in access to Philippine facilities rather than permanent bases.

His general explanation: “The economic security of our country is what we are most preoccupied with than military bases. The US is, the Philippines is, the Chinese are. What we’re trying to do is shape an environment in which the economic progress and prosperity and trade and all the things that we’re trying to accomplish are not in any way damaged by these other issues.”

This sense of economic security that people want comes from partnerships and alliances, he explained, so the US is strengthening its ties in the region particularly with its allies Australia, Japan, South Korea and yes, the Philippines.

With increased US presence in the region, he said the possibility of problems arising from “miscalculations” is reduced “because we’ll also be here to deal with them.”

Explaining the rebalance to Asia, he said, “We see this as a rising area: the rise of China where we want good relations, the rise of ASEAN and increased economic output.”

“We’re tied together so this is very much an Asian century – or Asian-Pacific in our case because we’re not an Asian country,” he told me.

Among America’s treaty allies in the region, Uncle Sam will need to prop up the weakest link, namely…

Goldberg reiterated his government’s commitment to assist the Philippines in achieving minimum credible defense capability.

What we must prevent is a revival of the Philippines’ overdependence on the American security umbrella. Goldberg also said every country must look after its own in many aspects of capacity building.

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His confirmation was speeded up and he got here earlier than expected because of Super Typhoon Yolanda, when the Philippines had to wait a few days for a US aircraft carrier to deploy helicopters and Ospreys to reach isolated areas and airdrop relief goods.

US military assistance in the disaster areas lasted about a month. When it did, some people asked why the US troops had left. Goldberg explained that they felt Philippine authorities were ready to take over.

“We’ll always cooperate and the world will always cooperate on humanitarian assistance. That’s in our nature certainly in the US. It’s our national policy, it’s what our people want and it’s what our people are,” Goldberg told me. “But again you want to have this capacity – I think any country would – to help their own people. And that requires some assistance but also some ability to do it here.”

His first month here has been preoccupied with emergency relief assistance in the typhoon-hit areas. Goldberg refuses to be drawn into controversies over the rehabilitation work being undertaken by the Philippine government.

He is still getting acquainted with his new assignment, visiting the typhoon-hit areas as well as Bohol. His latest stop was Baguio over the weekend, where he visited the Philippine Military Academy, met with Peace Corps volunteers, and stayed at the US embassy residence at Camp John Hay for a belated New Year’s gathering.

Like his predecessors, Goldberg finds Filipinos “very welcoming.” Discussing his new posting and sweeping his gaze across the veranda of the US Chancery yesterday, he said, “I couldn’t ask for better.”

(For more on this interview, read Starweek magazine this Sunday.)