US’s RM1.2b security aid for Southeast Asia
SINGAPORE: United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged yesterday to provide nearly US$300 million (RM1.2 billion) in new security funding for Southeast Asia, as China forges ahead with plans to bolster its engagement in the region.
Pompeo unveiled the figure on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from Asean and other officials here.
“As part of our commitment to advancing regional security in the Indo-Pacific, the US is excited to announce nearly US$300 million in new funding to reinforce security cooperation throughout the entire region,” he said.
The new security assistance will strengthen maritime security, develop humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping capabilities and counter “transnational threats”, he said.
The US said earlier it would invest US$113 million in technology, energy and infrastructure initiatives in emerging Asia, which Pompeo called “a downpayment on a new era of US economic commitment to the region”.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said at the same forum that China welcomed and was willing to work with the US to help with faster development and better security in the region.
He added, however, that the US had been sending “massive strategic weaponry” into the South China Sea and the region as a show of military might that puts pressure on China and other regional countries.