China’s increasingly provocative and assertive military exercises could spark a crisis or conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said.
Ratner made the remark during a talk on Thursday at the Center for a New American Security, titled “Building a Networked Security Architecture in the Indo-Pacific.”
China has been displaying “more assertive, aggressive, unprofessional, risky, unsafe behavior” in the Indo-Pacific region over the past 18 months, he said.
Photo: Screen grab from YouTube
For example, a Chinese J-16 fighter jet performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver close to a US Air Force RC-135 surveillance plane over the South China Sea at the end of last month, and a Chinese warship crossed the path of US Navy destroyer the USS Chung-Hoon as it was transiting the Taiwan Strait last week.
Behavior like this is a major problem and “could lead to some kind of crisis or conflict,” he added.
However, the US is “not going to be deterred or intimidated by this behavior,” he said, adding that he is confident in the deterrent efforts of the US and its allies.
Beijing’s unwillingness to engage in military communications with the US, especially over the past six months, makes the situation more problematic, he said.
China rejected the US’ invitation for Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu (李尚福) to meet with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last week, he said.
“China’s assertiveness and coercion have really underscored the importance of working together to strive toward that outcome,” Ratner said, referring to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
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