Remarks at RSIS Distinguished Public LectureChairman John McCainFriday, June 3, !"#
Thank you to RSIS for hosting me today and to Ambassador Ong for that kind introduction. It is always great to return to the Lion City, esecially for the Shangri!la "ialogue. Singaore continues to be an engine for dilomatic and economic leadershi in Southeast Asia, and America is grateful to be your artner. A number of Senators in our delegation are con#erging here in Singaore today after tra#eling to #arious locations throughout Asia this ast week. Senators Sulli#an, $ardner, and %rnst #isited South &orea last weekend to discuss security matters with our alliance artners. They also #isited 'urma to lend their suort to the romising democratic transition that continues to unfold in that country. Senator Cotton and I came to Singaore today by way of (.S. )acific Command in*awaii, where we met with Admiral *arry *arris and our other commanders. I am leased and grateful that the Admiral and his staff are here with us this afternoon. *arry is doing an e+cellent ob, and he has the full suort of the (nited States Senate.After the Shangri!la "ialogue, our delegation of se#en Senators will fly together toTaiei to see )resident Tsai and her new team. I am encouraged to see yet another eaceful, democratic transition in Taiwan, and a new leader as caable as )residentTsai. It was the Congress of the (nited States that assed the Taiwan Relations Act.And nearly forty years later, we stand firmly behind our commitments to Taiwan, and look forward to this new chater in our relationshi. So ust consider- *ere in Singaore, we ha#e the largest congressional delegation e#er to attend Shangri!la. e ha#e the Secretary of "efense and other members of the )resident/s national security team. e ha#e the )ACO0 commander and the Chief of 1a#al Oerations, Admiral 2ohn Richardson. This collection of ci#ilian and military leaders seaks #olumes about America/s enduring, biartisan commitment to the Asia!)acific region.As a )acific nation, the (nited States recogni3es that much of the history of the 45
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century will be written here in this region. Tremendous oortunities lie ahead.And I am confident we can sei3e these oortunities together if we stay true to the rinciles that brought us to this fortunate moment in the history of Asia. Se#enty years ago, out of the ashes of world war, America and our allies and artners built a rules!based international order6one based on the rinciles of
good go#ernance and the rule of law, free eoles and free markets, oen seas and oen skies, and the con#iction that wars of aggression should be relegated to the bloody ast. )ut simly- These ideas ha#e changed the fortunes of Asia fore#er.An unrecedented era of eace and security has enabled hundreds of millions of Asians to lift themsel#es out of o#erty and transform the economies of the region.Asia is now at the teeming center of the global marketlace. 0ore citi3ens of Asia than e#er before are now free to seak their minds and make their own choices. And as they secured these basic rights, Asians by the millions ha#e #oted to elect their own leaders, li#e under laws of their own making, and stand u democratic go#ernments. Taken together, I belie#e this Asia6the eaceful, roserous, democratic Asia6is the most remarkable rising ower in the world today. 1one of this was reordained. It is certainly true that a rules!based international order has succeeded because of the inherent aeal of its #alues and the material gains they foster. 'ut good ideas need a chamion. And that is what America and the nations of this region ha#e done together. e ha#e marshalled our ower and influence. e ha#e borne the costs and the sacrifices. e ha#e made the choice to defend the rinciles of the rules!based order here in Asia. And now we must choose again.Southeast Asia faces a choice. As a fre7uent #isitor to this region, I ha#e li#ed to see things I ne#er thought ossible. Singaore has transformed itself from a small ort town to a global financial hub. The )hiliines is one of the fastest!growing economies in the world. 'urma is on a ath to democracy. Indonesia has become an emerging regional leader. America and 8ietnam ha#e laid down the burdens of history and are building a new economic and security artnershi. I could go on. 9or too long, the nations of Southeast Asia were treated as obects in the game of great ower olitics. 'ut no more. Acting together in AS%A1, Southeast Asia is setting the agenda for the region and for the world- knocking down trade barriers, rotecting human rights, deeening security cooeration, and eacefully managing international disutes. The nations of Southeast Asia are earning a seat at the high table of global olitics. 'ut this ride of lace comes with resonsibilities, not ust benefits.The choice for Southeast Asia in the 45
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century is not between the (nited States and China, as some would make it out to be. Instead it is a choice between two futures6one in which the rules!based order is uheld and its benefits e+anded to
e#er more eole in Asia, or a darker future that resembles the ast in this region and the world, where might makes right, and bullies set the rules and break them.The rules!based order has not and will not enforce itself here in Southeast Asia. 1or can America, desite its great ower, achie#e this feat alone. It re7uires its stakeholders, including the nations of Southeast Asia, to uhold its rinciles, esecially when they are challenged. America and the world are counting on the nations of Southeast Asia to recommit their ower and resol#e to uholding this system on which our shared security and roserity deend. A maor test will come later this month when the )ermanent Court of Arbitration ise+ected to rule on the case filed by the $o#ernment of the )hiliines concerning disuted areas of the South China Sea. There is no rincile more fundamental to the rules!based order than the rule of law. 'ut its enforcement re7uires serious olitical will among defenders of the law. The legitimacy of this arbitration decision will be deri#ed from the actions of nations that are not arties to the case, esecially those in Southeast Asia. ith the legitimacy and integrity of the rule of law now at stake, the world is looking to see what choice Southeast Asia makes.Like Southeast Asia, China also faces a choice. 1o nation has benefitted more fromthe rules!based order than China. In ust a single generation, China has become an economic suerower and a maor layer in international affairs. 1o nation in history has risen so high, so fast, and in so many different dimensions. And no nation has been a greater ad#ocate for China/s success than America. Let me reeat- 1o nation has done as much to contribute to what China calls its :eaceful rise; as the (nited States of America.I had the oortunity to be resent in the $reat *all of the )eole in 5<=>, in the early days of normali3ed relations between China and the (nited States. "eng ?iaoing was walking around the recetion drinking toasts with all of the American #isitors. It wasn/t long before "eng was by far the most sober man in theroom, and we reali3ed that he had been drinking water the whole time. It is ama3ing and insiring to see how far China has come since then.Regrettably, in recent years, there ha#e been disturbing signs that China is maneu#ering toward a olicy of intimidation and coercion6harassing fisherman from the )hiliines, 8ietnam, Indonesia, and 0alaysia@using trade as a weaon in disutes with its neighbors@using cyber to steal intellectual roerty from foreign businesses to benefit its own industries@conducting dangerous intercets of military aircraft flying in accordance with international law@and in the South