While USA naval presence in the South China Sea is not new, the scale of reclamations and militarization of the waters are, he said.
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Defence ministers from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) hosted an annual meeting with regional partners including the United States and China on Wednesday morning in Kuala Lumpur.
The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration late last month made a decision to hear territorial claims the Philippines had filed against Beijing that China’s artificial islands, which are built on reefs that go underwater at high tide, are not entitled to recognition as base points for claiming territorial waters.
Speaking to the general session of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Han said “The stance of the Republic of Korea is that a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute and the freedom of navigation and flight should be guaranteed”.
The USA insists it has freedom of navigation in the area but the USS Lassen’s visit angered China, which called it a threat to Chinese sovereignty.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit a US aircraft carrier transiting the East Sea on November 5, a move sure to raise the ire of China as tensions between Washington and Beijing simmer over the disputed waterway.
Nakatani and Chang also discussed issues related to the South China Sea that have deepened the rift between China and the United States. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.
“If it’s being noted today in a special way, it’s because of the tension in this part of the world, mostly arising from disputes over land features in the South China Sea, and most of the activity over the a year ago being perpetrated by China”, he said.
Parrikar said the situation in the South China Sea and recent developments there have attracted “interest and concern”.
“Our efforts include joint military exercises in areas such as disaster response and humanitarian assistance, training and capacity building in areas such as navigational safety and cyber security, exchange of perspectives and cooperation on counter terrorism and support for ASEAN-led initiatives for security cooperation, ” he said.
Carter and his Malaysian counterpart will be on the USS Theodore Roosevelt as it sails through the South China Sea. Calling such patrol a ‘provocation, ‘ China warns the USA not to threaten its sovereignty but the US answers that it is committed to its right to freely navigate in ‘international waters.’ Song Ji-sun, Arirang News.
US defense officials have said Carter would not be on any warship carrying out such patrols. “To me, that says that’s something we all need to pay attention to”.
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“What is new is the scale of reclamation and militarization that is concerning many countries in the region, including the US That’s why we are calling for all claimants to halt reclamation”, he added.
