With about $5 trillion in trade floated through the South China Sea each year, the United States clearly has no interest in allowing China to bully its neighbors with calls of sovereignty by China over almost the entire expanse of the body of water. “If that’s the case, then many countries, not only in this region, will hope that these big countries can act in accordance with worldwide law”.
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US Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed on Thursday that the US and the Philippines had already conducted such patrols.
The ministry’s statement also referenced China’s long-standing opposition to US military alliances in the region.
The legislators cited China’s aggressive actions in pressing its claim over maritime territory in Asia.
“We want to reduce tensions, but we also want everybody in the region to be able to rise and develop in their own way – including the Philippines, by the way, which happens also to be a longstanding and very staunch treaty ally of the United States”, Carter said.
Mr Carter’s two-hour trip to the Stennis was made to assure United States allies that it remains committed to maintaining a significant presence in the region, against a backdrop of growing tension over China’s territorial claims and reclamation of rocky outcrops in the South China Sea.
Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. The first joint patrol, Carter said, was carried out in March, while the second was done in early April.
“The joint patrols are part of the USA plan and now the plan is being implemented”, Su said.
The comments from China came after the U.S. announced that it would ramp up its military presence in the Philippines, and that the two countries had started joint patrols in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Carter also highlighted the presence of soldiers from Australia and Japan for the Balikatan war games this year, emphasizing that the two key regional players had also expressed concerns over China’s expansion in the South China Sea.
On Friday’s visit, Carter was accompanied by Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. And he said the U.S.is committed to insuring that the Asia Pacific remains a region where every can rise and prosper.
The show of bravado came a day after Mr Carter announced an increase in the permanent U.S. military presence in the Philippines and more regular troop rotations at the end of the joint balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) military exercises.
China has constructed the islands on reefs in the Spratlys archipelago, which are close to the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as airstrips capable of accommodating military aircraft.
China says its island developments are mainly for civilian purposes and says United States naval activities – especially the sailing of ships close to its newly built islands – threaten China’s security. We don’t take sides in them per se.
Carter’s visit with the USS Stennis comes during his trip to India, the Philippines and the Middle East.
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The Philippines has sought worldwide arbitration at the Hague to help resolve the South China Sea dispute, with a ruling expected within months.
