Fri, Jul 15, 2016 page3

• SOUTH CHINA SEA: US should use force to limit China, former Pacific commander says

  • By William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTON
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  The US should use its superior military force to set limits on Chinese aggression “as it has done in Taiwan,” former commander of US forces in the Pacific region admiral Dennis Blair said on Wednesday.

  Testifying before the US Senate Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Blair said the US needed to decide which claims in the South China Sea it recognizes.

  His testimony came one day after the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled on a appeal from the Philippines, rejecting China’s claims to much of the South China Sea.

  “It would be ideal if there were a multilateral adjudication of the conflicting claims in the South China Sea, since there are many disputed claims beyond China’s,” Blair said.

  He said such a multilateral adjudication should ideally be undertaken by the claimant countries themselves, with or without China’s participation.

  “However, even without such a comprehensive settlement, the US should oppose some of China’s most extreme claims, if necessary, by the use of force,” Blair said.

  He said the objective of US military opposition to China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea was not to contain China, but to encourage it to settle its claims with its neighbors in an equitable manner rather than seeking “always to expand its own local power through its superior local military and law enforcement forces.”

  The US supported all mechanisms for peaceful dispute settlement in East Asia, including disputes involving Taiwan, he said, adding that when disputes had involved Taiwan, the US had made military commitments to deter aggression.

  Former US assistant secretary of state for East Asia Kurt Campbell told the subcommittee that the long-awaited ruling from The Hague was a triumph for the rule of law, but that it also laid bare the need for the US to remain deeply engaged in the South China Sea.

  As part of the pivot to Asia, the US remained committed to the security of Taiwan and had bolstered its ties with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, he said.

  “As a result of its rapid rise, China has gained the ability to press claims and has been doing so in an aggressive manner,” Campbell said. “From its land reclamation and installation of military facilities in the South China Sea, to its pressure on Japan’s administration of the Senkaku Islands [Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台)] in the East China Sea, China appears to be quickly expanding its reach.”

  Campbell said it was particularly worrisome that China had attempted to impose “military alert zones” that sought to hive off international waters and airspace around artificial islands.

  “Many speculate that Beijing wants to be able to maneuver unimpeded inside the first island chain and beyond and to limit the ability of others to do the same,” Campbell said.

  “If true, there is little question that these objectives are dangerous and destabilizing for the US and all trading nations,” he said.
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