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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 12, 1982
PAGE 9
The fall of Vietnam was a great plus for the Soviets. Russian warships now
regularly dock at the former giant U.S. base at Cam Ranh Bay.
Sovi � t
coastal patrol aircraft "monitor" heavy seaborne commerce in southeast Asia
from former U.S. air bases such as Da Nang.
The Chinese, for their part, are deeply concerned over Soviet expansionism
in Asia. They are attempting to block further land conquests on the Indo
China peninsula made by the soviet-backed forces of Vietnam. Says China's
Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping: "The Soviets have a ready-made naval base at
Cam Ranh Bay as well as scores of modern airfields, all provided by you
Americans. If the Vietnamese, who we say are the Cubans of the Orient,
succeed in Kampuchea [ Cambodia] , another base will be available to the
Soviet Union in Sihanoukville (Kornpong Sorn1. The Soviets actually started
using these bases before the Vietnamese launched their aggression against
Kampuchea."
But Chinese attempts to thwart soviet ambitions, in turn, are not entirely
welcomed by other nations in the region, such as those belonging to ASEAN-
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN members are Singapore,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The mainland Communist
Chinese still have links, however subdued, to various Communist guerrilla
groups which at times have threatened the stability of some of the smaller
free Asian countries.
It's obvious that the only real power which can keep both the Soviets at bay
and the Chinese in their place is the United States. But in the aftermath
of Vietnam, U.S. power is no longer as credible as it once was.
The complex equation of Southeast Asia was recently discussed in an in
sightful interview with Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew, published
in the February 8, 1982 issue of U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT. The 58-year
old Lee, Singapore's only Prime Minister to date, is known for his outs
poken, clear-headed geopolitical views of world affairs.
When asked what role the U.S. should be playing today in Southeast Asia, Mr.
Lee responded: "The U.S. must insure that the soviet Union--either on her
own or through her surrogate, Vietnam--should not be allowed to dominate or
intimidate Southeast Asia with her military might. While China can be a
counterweight to keep Soviet forces tied down on her eastern borders, the
balance in Southeast Asia should not be complicated
by
bringing Chinese
forces into the equation."
The Prime Minister then remarked that, in his view, the U.S. naval presence
is too thin in the region: that instead of having one fleet for both the
Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, there really should be a separate one for
each. "You can't have Japan and your partners in western Europe dependent
for two-thirds of their oil upon the Persian Gulf and have your fleet in
such a parlous ( risky 1 state, now that the British have withdrawn from east
of the Suez," he said.
The Soviets, noted Mr. Lee, have their eyes clearly set on those areas of
the world, which if they could control them, would place the free world at
their mercy. We have prophetically referred to these areas as sea gates.
The Soviets call them "choke points." Prime Minister Lee, once aga'In: "The
Strait of Malacca [ between the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian island of
Sumatra-i-lends this area great strategic importance. The strait is one of