SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged the US to spread its ties with Asia beyond China.

Ahead of his talks with US President George Bush in Washington next month, Mr Lee told the Wall Street Journal that the US was not paying enough attention to Southeast Asia.

Distracted by problems elsewhere, the US was losing its regional influence to a rising China, and potentially weakening anti-terrorism cooperation.

Mr Lee said the US had many friends and strategic interests in Southeast Asia, and it was important for the region to continue to nourish this, and make sure attention was focused in America on cultivating this relationship and developing it.

Mr Lee said political goodwill was needed for substantive cooperation between security agencies in the fight against terrorism. And in a country like Indonesia, which has been rocked by several terror attacks in recent years, America's perceived disengagement from the region might hinder cooperation against terrorism.

Mr Lee also expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.

He warned against a rapid US pullout, saying if the US 'walk away', there would be a big problem not just in Iraq, but worldwide. - CNA/ms