The US said Wednesday there is no anti-China bloc despite the support from several countries in the region for its recent military maneuvers in the South China Sea.
In a press briefing, US State Department Press Secretary John Kirby noted that five out of the seven US treaty alliances are in the Asia-Pacific region.
“So we have serious commitments there, and they are not aimed at China. They are aimed at trying to decrease tensions and preserve stability, because that region is so vital to the rest of the world economically alone, but on other levels as well,” Kirby said.
Earlier this week, the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations claimed by China in the disputed Spratly Islands chain early Tuesday. The move infuriated Beijing, which denounced the move as a threat to its sovereignty.
“Freedom of the seas is a fundamental principle which must be protected, and that is one of the reasons the US Navy exists,” he said. “They are operations in international waters and they are not meant to be nor should they be perceived to be by anybody as provocative.”
The US “rebalance” toward the Asia-Pacific region is not aimed against any one nation, he added.
“It’s about preserving our own national security interests in that part of the world, the national security interests of our allies and partners,” Kirby said.
The White House reiterated that its military operation in the South China Sea was in accordance with international law.
“Our policies are intended to advance our strategic objectives in the Asia-Pacific region, including on maritime issues. This includes protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law,” said White House Deputy Secretary Eric Schultz.
“As the President stated, I believe in front of all of you that the United States is going to fly, sail, and operate anywhere where international law allows,” he added.
In Manila, militant groups scored President Benigno Aquino III for his inaction in the arms race between China and the United States, and promised mass protest actions against the two superpowers when they arrive in the Philippines for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November.
“The Aquino government has shown itself to be unreliable when it comes to defending national sovereignty as its plans revolve around seeking US support and bringing back US bases to the country in exchange for false promises of support under a questionable Mutual Defense Treaty,” Renato Reyes Jr., secretary-general of Bayan, said in a statement.
Reyes also slammed the two superpowers for their continuous incursions over the disputed Philippine territory.
“We oppose in no uncertain terms the illegal occupation and reclamation activities of China in the West Philippine Sea. We condemn their continuing incursions in our country’s exclusive economic zone and their harassment of Filipino fishermen. We denounce their absurd claims over 90 percent of the South China Sea,” Reyes said.
“We likewise oppose the continuing military intervention of the US in the West Philippine Sea dispute. The US is using the dispute to justify its military pivot to Asia. The US wants to assert itself as a Pacific power and use its military might as leverage for economic dictates. It is no coincidence that the US maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea come less than a month before the Apec meeting in Manila where other claimants in the maritime dispute will be present. The maneuvers are a pre-Apec show of force by the US.”
The disputed waters of the South China Sea—claimed in part by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others—have become the stage for a burgeoning tussle between the world’s two largest economic and military powers as they struggle for regional dominance.
Australia’s Defense Minister Marise Payne said after Tuesday’s incident she supported the Americans’ right to freedom of navigation under international law, but added that Canberra was not involved in the US action.
A spokesman for Payne on Thursday said that contrary to reports, two Royal Australian Navy ships would still take part in exercises with their Chinese counterparts off the southeastern Chinese coast near the disputed Spratly Islands.
“HMAS ships Stuart and Arunta will visit Zhanjiang, in Guangdong province, China, soon during their North Asia deployment,” the spokesman said in a statement.
The exercises are expected to start in the coming days, although no precise dates were given.
The Australian Navy last conducted live-fire naval exercises with China in 2010.
Australia is a key Pacific ally of the United States and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said this month after talks in Washington the two nations were “on the same page” over the issue of freedom of navigation in the seas and skies.
Recently appointed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in September China should ease off island construction in the South China Sea if it wanted a reduced US presence in the region.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/news/-main-stories/top-stories/190705/no-anti-china-group-washington-declares.html
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