Canberra 'must encourage US to Asia leadership'

AUSTRALIA "must work to maintain a strong commitment by Washington to the Asia-Pacific''.

AUSTRALIA must work to maintain a strong commitment by Washington to the Asia-Pacific, especially in the face of the US debt crisis and an isolationist mood in America, says former US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

A key foreign policy adviser in the Bush administration and former head of the World Bank, Dr Wolfowitz told a Centre for Independent Studies audience in Sydney yesterday that it was "hardly surprising" China would like to replace the US as the dominant military force in the region. However, he detailed a sanguine view about the rise of China, suggesting it would be countered by Japan, and the growth of India and the ASEAN nations. He also noted that China's economic self-interest was best served by peace and that political freedoms were on the rise within the communist state -- even predicting it would eventually be a democracy.

"China should not be dealt with as a threat but it definitely has to be considered a competitor," Dr Wolfowitz said.

"There are many areas where we can co-operate, but there are areas where the relationship is basically competitive and we need to be able to compete effectively."

He said Chinese military dominance in east Asia would be bad for all countries of the region, including Australia, but "you may have trouble persuading some Americans that we should care about it".