US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter flew to a US aircraft carrier transiting the disputed South China Sea yesterday and blamed China for rising tension in the region on a visit sure to infuriate Beijing.
Carter’s visit to the USS Theodore Roosevelt with Malaysian Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Hussein came just over a week after the USS Lassen, a guided-missile destroyer, challenged territorial limits around one of China’s artificial islands in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) with a so-called freedom-of-navigation patrol.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than US$5 trillion in global trade passes every year. Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines have rival claims.
Photo: AFP
“Being here on the Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea is a symbol and signifies the stabilizing presence that the United States has had in this part of the world for decades,” Carter told reporters as the carrier sailed about 150 to 200 nautical miles (278km to 370km) from the southern tip of the Spratly Islands and about 70 nautical miles north of Malaysia.
Asked about the significance of his visit at such a time, he said: “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 last year being perpetrated by China.”
Beijing has rebuked Washington over the patrol, while China’s navy commander has warned that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the US does not stop its “provocative acts.”
“China has consistently respected and safeguarded all countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed under international law,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said yesterday when asked about the Carter carrier visit before it took place. “What we oppose is waving the banner of freedom of navigation to push forward the militarization of the South China Sea, and even provoke and endanger other countries’ sovereignty and security interests. In this aspect, we hope the relevant actions and intentions of the US can be made open and above board.”
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