Pentagon’s decision to cancel China’s RIMPAC invitation stirs trouble

The Pentagon withdrew an invitation to China to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC) on Wednesday last week. The Pentagon said the step was “an initial response” to what it called “China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea.”

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US decision was “very unconstructive” and “unhelpful to mutual understanding between China and the US.” The US move, which came amid political volatility in the region, won’t facilitate peaceful coexistence of the two countries in the AsiaPacific region.

RIMPAC exercise is the world’s largest international maritime war game, which was first organized by several Western countries in 1971. In 2014, China participated for the first time and in 2016, then US defense secretary Ash Carter invited China despite South China Sea tensions. China had been scheduled to join the Combined Task Force 175 this year and would have brought four ships, including its hospital ship Peace Ark. According to CNN, the decision to disinvite China was made by US Defense Secretary James Mattis in coordination with the White House.

The US’ excuse for withdrawing the invitation is that “China’s continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabilize the region.” US Department of Defense said that the US has strong evidence that “China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-toair missile systems and electronic jammers” in the South China Sea.

In a rebuttal, Wang said that “China is only building civilian and some necessary defense facilities on our own islands,” which constitutes the right to self-defense of every sovereign state. This has nothing to do with militarization, just like the US has military presence in Hawaii, in Guam.

Excluding China from the RIMPAC exercise reveals the growing anxiety among US strategic circles and government over the South China Sea issue. Since US President Donald Trump came up with the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy last year, little development has been seen.

In the meantime, growing stability in the South China Sea is increasing Washington’s frustration. The Congress also pressures the Trump administration to counter China. The ASEAN Summit held in Singapore in late April suggests that countries in the region have gradually shifted their priorities from geopolitics to trade and investment. Vietnam, which had been at loggerheads with China, increasingly hopes to address the dispute through political channels.

In response, several US senators jointly proposed to increase defense budget in the Asia-Pacific region so as to counter China’s growing influence, especially more funds for Freedom of Navigation Operations, according to The Navy Times.

During Trump’s visit to China last year, the two countries reached a consensus on deepening military exchange. However, due to intensifying trade disputes, Beijing-Washington military exchanges have nearly stagnated this year. During the Obama administration, military interactions played a significant role in enhancing mutual trust and avoiding strategic miscalculations, and the two countries agreed not to link military interactions with other issues. This was the reason for Carter’s invitation to China to the RIMPAC exercise in 2016.

On the contrary, disinviting China is a retrograde step that goes against the traditional practice of separating military exchanges with other issues. It will do no good to regional peace and stability in the long run.

In addition, US officials are expected to raise the issue of militarization in the South China Sea at the annual ShangriLa dialogue to be held in early June. According to media reports, two American warships sailed within 12 nautical miles of Xisha Islands on Sunday, continuing to challenge China’s sovereignty and security interests in the region.

Such shortsighted and perfunctory act only highlights the Trump administration’s anxieties about China and creates more obstacles for the development of Sino-US relations. However, it will not hold back the irreversible trend of regional countries cooperating and peacefully addressing disputes.