China’s actions in the South China Sea show that it was trying to gain territorial space through force, said a US Admiral. Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said in an address to the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney that China’s recent actions against the Philippines, particularly in Second Thomas Shoal, were “dangerous, illegal and they are destabilising the region.”
The Philippines and China have recently had a series of maritime run-ins.
Aquilino said similar actions by China were also being seen elsewhere in the region, including in Japan and Malaysia and said it was trying to carve space for itself through force. “This is not isolated, this is about the PRC (People’s Republic of China) trying to gain territorial space unilaterally through force,” he said.
“So what’s next and how far are they willing to go in that area?”
Aquilino also pointed out that there had been positive movement in the US-China relationship since the leaders of the two countries had spoken, with no concerning maritime interactions between the U.S. and China since then. According to a White House press release, in his phone call with President Xi on April 2, “President Biden emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He raised concerns over the PRC’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security, and he emphasised the United States’ enduring commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Aquilino said he was concerned, however, that this detente was temporary and also expressed concern about what he said was synchronisation between Russia and China, and Russia and North Korea.
“Those sets of cooperation and the linkages are really a new world and a concern,” he said. Pointing to the Pacific Islands, he said China was exercising economic coercion, and added that Australia and the U.S. were working together to focus on increasing development assistance to the region, including the Solomon Islands which has struck a security pact with China.
“An increased military presence in that region is a direct threat to Australia as it applies to homeland defence and it doesn’t put the U.S. in a good position either,” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
