Mattis warns China over 'militarization'
U.S. Defense SINGAPORE — Secretary JimMattis on Saturday raised the prospect of additional American steps against China if its“militarization” of the South China Sea keeps apace. He said Beijing was intimidating and coercing others in the region by puttingweapons systems on manmade islands.
PresidentDonald Trump, backing the remarks by his Pentagon chief at an international security forum in Singapore, said on Twitter: “Very surprised that China would be doing this?”
Matt is said the administration’s recent decision to disinvite China from a multinational naval exercise this summer was an“initial response” to Beijing’s island activity. Mattis called the U.S. action a “relatively small consequence. I believe there are much larger consequences in the future.”
China’s reliance on military muscle to achieve its goals “is not a way to make long-term collaboration the rule of the road in a region that’s important to China’s future,” Mattis said, when asked to elaborate.
“There are consequences that will continue to come home to roost, so to speak,
withChina, if they don’t fifind a way to work more collaboratively with all of the nations who have interests,” he said.
The bluster comes at a delicate timein U.S.-China relations, as the Trump administration is warily asking for China’s help with North Korea aheadof a June12 summit, while also threatening a trade war. President Donald Trump renewed his threat to hike tariffs on Chinese goods, just days before his commerce secretary arrived in Beijing on Saturday for trade talks.
Mattis said there was little doubt about Beijing’s intentions.
“Despite China’s claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.
China recently has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-airmissiles, electronic jammers and other equipment on the Spratly Islands, andlandedabomber aircraft at Woody Island.
Mattis also touched on Taiwan, a longstanding dispute between the U.S. and China. He said Washington will continue to provide defense equipment and services to Taiwan and oppose any effort to alter the status quo. China claims the self- governing island as its own territory to be brought under its control by force, if necessary.
But he also said the U.S. welcomes cooperationwith China “wherever possible,” and announced that he has accepted Beijing’s invitation tovisit soon. Itwasnot immediately clear whether that invitationwould stand after the conference.
Mattis’ comments drew a pointed reaction froma Chinese offifficial at the meeting.
SeniorCol. Zhao Xiaozhuo said aU.S. move to send two warships into China’s “territorial waters” was a violation of law, and an “obvious provocation to China’s national security and territorial integrity.”
Mattis responded that the question reflflected a fundamental disconnect with the way international tribunals have spoken on the matter.
“We do not see it as amilitarization by going through what has traditionally been an international water space,” said Mattis of the U.S. ship movements through the South China Sea.“What wesee it as, is a reaffiffirmation of the rules-based order.”