US warns China against intimidating neighbours
SOUTH CHINA SEA ROW Islands our territory, China says at ShangiLa dialogue SINGAPORE:
The United States is willing to work with China on a “results- oriented” relationship, but Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea were coercive and the Pentagon would “compete vigorously” if needed, US defence secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday.
The comments by Mattis at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore come at a time of increased tension between the two nations in the South China Sea and highlight how President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to balance China’s cooperation on North Korea while dealing with its activities in the disputed sea.
“China’s policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness that our strategy promotes, it calls into question China’s broader goals,” said Mattis, who would be travelling to Beijing this month.
“The US will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperation whenever possible will be the name of the game and competing vigorously where we must ... of course we recognise any sustainable Indo-Pacific order has a role for China,” he said. Last month, China’s air force landed bombers on disputed
I believe there are much larger consequences in the future when nations lose the rapport of their neighbours ...eventually these (actions) do not pay off JIM MATTIS, US defence secretary
islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of a training exercise, triggering concern from Vietnam and the Philippines.
Satellite photographs taken on May 12 showed China appeared to have deployed truck-mounted surface-to-air missiles or antiship cruise missiles at Woody Island in the disputed sea.
“Despite China’s claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis said.
He Lei, the head of the Chinese delegation to the dialogue, said the islands were Chinese territory and it was “a sovereign and legal right for China to place our army and military weapons there.” “We see any other country that tries to make noise about this as interfering in our internal affairs,” said He, who is deputy president of the Academy of Military Sciences at the People’s Liberation Army.
Two US Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China on Sunday.