US to stay militarily superior to China

Washington—The United States is taking action to make sure it militarily stays ahead of China, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in remarks at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“We definitely keep an eye on China and we take specifications to make sure we stay ahead of Chinese military capabilities,” Carter said. “This is built into our budget.”

The US defense secre­tary stopped over in Hawaii on his return from talks with Asian counterparts in Ma­laysia last week.

“Our policy with respect to this region is not one to divide or exclude, keep out China or anyone else. Our policy is one of inclusion,” Carter said.

Last Thursday, Carter visited the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roos­evelt in the South China Sea, signaling the US intention to maintain a strong naval presence in the region.

“We are concerned about their [Chinese] activi­ties in the South China Sea,” he said, adding that these disagreements should be re­solved diplomatically.

Carter was the first to publicly propose using naval patrols in the South China Sea to challenge Chinese territorial claims around the Spratly islands, and he reiter­ated that policy in his com­ments.

“The United States will continue to fly, sail and op­erate anywhere international law permits,” Carter said.

However, the Pentagon’s decision to send patrol ships through contested waters in the South China Sea has outraged Chinese officials.

China’s promise

In Singapore, China’s Pres­ident Xi Jinping last Satur­day promised to safeguard freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where ten­sions have flared over over­lapping claims and the US Navy’s moves to challenge Beijing’s massive island building.

Speaking at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, Xi said there has never been any prob­lem with freedom of naviga­tion and overflight, “nor will there ever be in the future.”

He said that China needs unimpeded passage through the waters more than any­one else.

“We have absolute con­fidence and capability in maintaining the peace and stability. This can be done through negotiations and the establishment of rea­sonable maritime rights,” Xi said.

China criticized last week’s patrol of the USS Lassen, a guided-missile de­stroyer, within the 12-nauti­cal-mile (22-kilometer) terri­torial limit of Subi Reef, one of the South China Sea fea­tures that have been claimed, expanded and reinforced by China over objections of other claimants, particularly the Philippines.

The US Navy said it wanted to demonstrate the principle of freedom of navi­gation.

China has called it a “de­liberate provocation,” and sent two warships to shad­ow the US vessel and issue warnings. Although China labeled the action illegal, in­ternational law allows war­ships to transit other coun­tries’ territorial seas under the principle of “innocent passage.”

In an apparent reference to the US, Xi said that Chi­na welcomes countries from outside the region to partici­pate “in the peace and devel­opment of Asia and leave a positive influence.”

China “is committed to working with countries with direct stake in the issue to solve the disputes on the basis of respect of historical facts, according to interna­tional laws and through dis­cussions and negotiations,” Xi said.

The US does not recog­nize the man-made features as legitimate islands entitled to territorial seas, and US of­ficials say they plan to patrol near them on a regular basis to enforce that view. China has reclaimed approximate­ly 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of land in the Spratly island chain since last year, and is now adding harbors, hous­ing and airstrips. PNA/Sputnik/AP