US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel starts his fourth trip to Asia Pacific today as part of the Obama administration's rebalance strategy to stress on the issues of security and peace in the region.
Hagel during his ten-day trip will hold the ASEAN defence ministers meeting in Hawaii (April 1 to 3), besides travelling to Japan, China and Mongolia.
"The meeting in Hawaii and the full agenda of this trip underscores the importance of this rebalance, and it's going to give us an opportunity to talk specifically about some of the issues that we're dealing with in the Asia-Pacific, all of our partners - the security challenges, the issues that are of concern to peace, prosperity, the future of that region," he said.
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Security and stability are key anchors for prosperity, for economic development, and the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific with all of those different responsibilities and dimensions as the focus of the administration.
"It is pretty clear the tremendous progress that's been made in the Asia-Pacific the last few years has been much the result of a secure area, an area that has worked through many of differences peacefully," he said.
Acknowledging that there are still issues and questions, Hagel said the region has prospered because it has worked through many differences.
"The ASEAN institution itself - that organisation is a critically important part of that. So to have the 10 ASEAN defence ministers in Hawaii on United States soil is important, and I'm looking forward to that meeting with my ASEAN counterparts," he said.
