U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates departed for Asia on Wednesday for an annual security conference. The Shangri-la Dialogue, in which top officials and experts from the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Singapore May 30 to June 1, has been dominated in past years by U.S. concerns about China's military buildup. But the death of tens of thousands of people in an earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myanmar is likely to highlight the need for greater regional cooperation. While U.S. doubts about China's military intentions have not disappeared, Gates has taken a less confrontational approach toward Beijing than his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld.
