Making its shift more explicit, by signing up with Western-backed security alliances, would be good for the region, and the world.
And international law also impinges - should impinge - on Britain's ever-closer military and security alliances with governments which have little or no regard for human rights.
Finally, we must affirm that security in Europe is indivisible, the importance of territorial integrity for all countries in Europe, and the right of states to choose their own security alliances.
He cast doubt on key security alliances in Asia.
Mr Obama said the deal was a priority for the US and he hoped that it would create an economic alliance as strong as the diplomatic and security alliances the two sides enjoyed.
The economic tension even undermined support in both countries for America's security alliance with Japan.The case against China is even weaker than the one against Japan was.
As a further sign of Russia-China interdependence, on Thursday, the two countries' presidents, Dmitri A. Medvedev and Hu Jintao, plan to meet at a conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for their regional security alliance, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He seeks a more active role for Japan in its security alliance with America, including an explicit commitment to come to America's aid in the event of an attack on its forces in the region.
The long-delayed legislation for beefing up Japan's security alliance with America was one of the first to breeze through.
As a further sign of Russia-China interdependence, on Thursday, the two nations' presidents, Dmitri A. Medvedev and Hu Jintao, plan to meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for a conference of their regional security alliance, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
