U.S. defends its role in South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — A U.S. official accused China on Tuesday of bullying and insincerity in its dealings with Southeast Asian nations, but said Washington isn’t forcing the region to choose sides between the two world powers.

Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell emphasized American resolve in maintaining its presence in the region and preventing “unwelcomed and certainly unhelpful military adventurism,” including in the disputed South China Sea.

The comments in an online news conference were the latest display of the Trump administration’s tough rhetoric toward China. Last week, U.S. and Chinese officials squared off in annual meetings of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Stilwell pointed to Chinese actions toward countries with rival territorial claims in the South China Sea, suppression of pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong and operation of dams that threaten the water supply for downstream nations along the Mekong river.

Washington is also concerned about “persistent reports of Chinese weapons ending up in the hands of various armed groups in Myanmar,” he said, without elaborating. Burma, which is fighting several insurgent minority groups, has close ties with Beijing. Burma is often called Myanmar, a name that military authorities adopted in 1989. Some nations, such as the United States and Britain, have refused to adopt the name change.

Stilwell said Chinese insincerity is best illustrated in its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has turned disputed reefs into weaponized artificial island outposts despite a commitment not to militarize the region.

The U.S. regards China’s vast maritime claims in the strategic waterway as “unlawful,” Stilwell said, but stressed that the long-simmering disputes should be resolved peacefully and through dialogue.

Stilwell said Beijing’s control of dams along the upper Mekong River has “harmed the livelihood of tens of millions of people in Southeast Asian communities up and down the Mekong region basin.” Washington has encouraged the affected countries — Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma and Laos — to hold China accountable, he said.