Chinese envoy says US ‘escalating’ situation in disputed waters
NEW YORK — China’s ambassador to the US warned Washington against “anti-China” alliances and a “Cold War mentality” as Beijing continued to ramp up its objections to US military activity in the South China Sea before a weekend meeting of defense chiefs from the US and Asia.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ambassador Cui Tiankai defended China’s recent expansion of reefs it claims in the Spratly Islands which has spurred objections from neighbors, worried that Beijing intends to militarize the strategically important region, a major maritime thoroughfare.
Cui sought to tamp down the controversy over the area – known by the Chinese as the Nansha Islands – while putting the blame on the US government which earlier called on China to stop its building activities and tone down its territorial ambitions in the disputed waters.
Replay of ‘cold war’ “It was very surprising to us that the US has overreacted to the situation and is escalating the situation,” Mr. Cui said. “What the US is doing is giving rise to a lot of questions in China....What is the real intention? Is there an attempt to replay the Cold War in Asia?”
In recent weeks, satellite images have revealed the extent of China’s building on reefs it controls, in an island chain where Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia also lay claim to territory that Beijing says historically belongs to China. The US has responded by exploring options for increasing surveillance flights and ship deployments in the region, and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday called China “out of step with...international norms.”
The issue is expected to occupy this weekend’s security summit of defense chiefs from Asia and the US in Singapore, known as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.
Mr. Cui noted that criticism from the US has been rising even after a recent visit to Beijing by Secretary of State John Kerry, where the tensions were aired in what the ambassador called a “very candid, very friendly conversation” with top leaders.
Counterproductive He warned that the recent rhetoric, coupled with the plans for more reconnaissance flights, threatened to dominate US-China relations – “the most important bilateral relationship in the world,” he said – despite cooperation on many other fronts, from trade to fighting global terrorism and climate change.
He also acknowledged a peril to regional stability from the territorial tensions.
“If the good prospect of regional economic cooperation is diminished, everybody will be hurt,” he said. “Those are the consequences. I don’t know if people in Washington, D.C. have ever given serious thought to such consequences.”
Mr. Cui said that a theory was developing among some in China – though he didn’t subscribe to it – that the US was seeking an excuse to ramp up military activity in the region. US military alliances with other nations aren’t seen in China as sufficient reason for US concerns about China’s territorial claims, he added.
“Those alliances are anti-China in nature if that is the explanation,” he said. “It is most counterproductive and even stupid to have such anti-China policies....You should not do anything that convinces people back in China that you are really directed against us.”
He said that although China’s purpose on the reefs was primarily civilian, Beijing wouldn’t reassure its neighbors by promising not to site weapons in the area.
“Why should we do that?” he said. “Most of the imports and exports of China go through these sea lanes, so stability in the region is of paramount importance to us. But of course we have to defend the facilities on these islands and reefs, so what we are doing is to provide or build up the necessary facilities for self defense, not for attacking others.”
Port visit Meanwhile, a day after US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter openly warned China to halt reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a guided missile cruiser of the US Navy – the USS Shiloh (CG 67) arrived in Subic for a port visit as part of an ongoing patrol in the region.
The Ticonderoga-class USS Shiloh commanded by Captain Kurush F. Morris dropped anchor at the former US naval base around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.
The ship is part of the Naval Forces of the US 7th Fleet – the US Department of Defense (DoD) unified combatant command responsible for the overall stability of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
Shiloh is a multi-role warship capable of facing and defeating threats in the air, sea or ashore. It is also capable of employing two SH-60 Seahawk multipurpose helicopters, used primarily for anti-submarine warfare.
A statement from the US embassy said “the routinely scheduled port visit will permit the ship to replenish supplies, strengthen people-to-people ties through community outreach and will afford the approximately 360-person crew of which 31 are Filipino-American, the opportunity to briefly experience Filipino culture, which is reflective of strong historic, community, and military connections.” (With a report from Elena L. Aben)