China’s military buildup in the South China Sea dominated the first day of a key Asian security summit Friday, with US partners trying to strike a balance between challenging the Chinese and working with them in what some see as a new reality in the region.
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“In the South China Sea we have been witnessing large-scale and rapid land reclamation, building of outposts and utilization of them for military purposes”, Japanese Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani said during a speech at a regional security conference in Singapore on Saturday, without mentioning China directly.
He added that the United States and Asean countries would hold a meeting in Laos in September to follow up on their commitments in the Sunnylands talks in February.
Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, Carter said Beijing risks building a “Great Wall of self-isolation” with its military expansion in the contested waters, but he also proposed stronger bilateral security cooperation to reduce the risks of a mishap.
China, which rejects the court’s authority, will try to convince the countries to abstain from taking a public position and make it easier to stave off criticism from the West, the report said.
The Shangri-La Dialogue hosted annually by independent think-tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, is being held from June 3-5.
U.S. news reports, meanwhile, said the upcoming South Korea-U.S. meeting would discuss the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, but South Korea’s defense ministry refuted the reports, saying, “There are no plans for discussion on the matter between South Korean and U.S. defense ministers at the latest Shangri-La Dialogue”.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims in the sea, which encompass vital global shipping routes and is believed to have significant oil and gas deposits.
“The United States remains committed to working with China to ensure a principled future”, Carter said.
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The key to regional security, Carter said, was enhanced military cooperation across the region and the observance of “core principles” such as the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means and the development of a “principled security network”. While China says it has no objections to freedom of navigation in the area, it has frequently interfered with or issued warnings to fishing vessels and military planes and vessels.
“The United States expects and welcomes a China that plays a responsible role in world affairs commensurate with its wealth and potential influence”.
His attendance at the summit is part of a broader U.S. diplomatic push, known as the Asia “rebalance”, to build and maintain alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, which America sees as key to its own long-term economic and security interests.
Combined regional defense budgets will grow from $435 billion a year ago to $533 billion in 2020, furthering a shift in global military spending away from Western Europe and North America toward emerging markets, especially in Asia, the report said. “It’s not a focus on China”.
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“Regardless of what else was going on at home or in other parts of the world – during Democratic and Republican administrations, in times of surplus and deficit, war and peace – the United States has remained economically, politically, and militarily engaged, as well as geographically located in the Asia-Pacific”, he said.
