Pentagon chief turns up heat on North Korea and China
Mattis chastises Beijing for coercive behavior in South China Sea
eral, coercive changes to the status quo.”
Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told a news conference later that he believed Mattis had effectively stressed the US commitment to allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
“He was very clear, very strong,” said Thornberry, who led a bipartisan congressional delegation on an Asia tour and attended Saturday’s Singapore conference.
Overall, Mattis’ speech struck a positive, hopeful tone for cooperation and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, where he and his predecessors have made it a priority to nurture and strengthen alliances and partnerships.
“While competition between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies, is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable,” he said. “Our two countries can and do cooperate for mutual benefit. We will pledge to work closely with China where we share common cause.”
He was, however, unrelentingly critical of North Korea, a politically and economically isolated nation whose leaders have long viewed the US as a military threat, in part because of periodic US military exercises with South Korea, which the North sees as preparations for attacks aimed at destroying its ruling elite.
He called North Korea an “urgent military threat.” In a question-and-answer session with his audience of national security experts from across the globe, Mattis was asked whether the US might attack the North pre-emptively and without warning South Korea in advance.
“We’re working diplomatically, economically, we’re trying to exhaust all possible alternatives to avert this race for a nuclear weapon in violation of ... the United Nations’ restrictions on North Korea’s activities,” he said.
“We want to stop this. We consider it urgent,” he added.
The US has about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, a defense treaty ally.
“North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them is not new,” Mattis said in his prepared remarks.
“But the regime has increased the pace and scope of its efforts,” he added, alluding to the North’s series of nuclear device tests in recent years and an accelerated pace of missile tests seemingly aimed at building a rocket with enough range to hit the US.
“While the North Korean regime has a long record of murder of diplomats, of kidnapping, killing of sailors and criminal activity, its nuclear weapons program is maturing as a threat to all,” Mattis said.
“As a matter of national security, the United States regards the threat from North Korea as a clear and present danger.”
Mattis made no mention of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change agreement.
The issue arose briefly during questions from his audience, but Mattis did not address it directly.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada applauded America’s presence in the region and its tough stance on North Korea.
“The security threat North Korea poses to the region and beyond has now entered a new stage,” she said.
“We must stand shoulder to shoulder to intensify pressure on North Korea.”
She said Japan is “further deepening cooperation and coordination with the Trump administration.”
China has pitted itself against its smaller neighbors in claiming disputed islands, Inada explained.