SCS does not belong to any one nation – US

SINGAPORE – US Vice President Mike Pence said yesterday the South China Sea does not belong to any one nation and the United States will continue to sail and fly wherever international law allows – comments sure to rile China, which claims the strategic sea route. The United States has conducted a series of “freedom of navigation” exercises in the contested South China Sea, angering Beijing, which says the moves threaten its sovereignty. “The South China Sea doesn’t belong to any one nation, and you can be sure: the United States will continue to sail and fly wherever international law allows and our national interests demand,” Pence said.

China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan all have

claims in the South China Sea, through which some $3 trillion of ship-borne trade passes each year.

Pence on Thursday told leaders of Southeast Asian nations on there was no place for “empire and aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region, a comment that could be interpreted as a reference to China’s rise.

Pence’s latest comments follow a major speech in October in which he flagged a tougher approach by Washington towards Beijing, accusing China of “malign” efforts to undermine US President Donald Trump and reckless military actions in the South China Sea.

Pence did not mention China in his remarks at the opening of the summit in Singapore, but stressed that small countries as well as large ones should be allowed to prosper in the Indo-Pacific.

Leaders at the ASEAN meetings this week heard warnings that the post-World War Two international order was in jeopardy and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing could trigger a “domino effect” of protectionist measures by other countries.

“Like you, we seek an Indo-Pacific in which all nations, large and small, can prosper and thrive – secure in our sovereignty, confident in our values, and growing stronger together,” Pence said. “We all agree that empire and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific.”

He said Washington had taken action to promote this vision, including steps to spur private investment in infrastructure and a pursuit of trade that is “free, fair and reciprocal.”

The vice president also highlighted the United States’ “pressure campaign” on North Korea, its “commitment to uphold the freedom of the seas and skies” and determination to ensure that Southeast Asian nations are secure in their sovereign borders, on land, and at sea in the digital world.

China’s claims in the South China Sea are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – all ASEAN members – as well as Taiwan.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war in which they have imposed increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other’s imports.

Leaders from the 10-nation ASEAN joined counterparts from China, the United States, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand for the meetings.