China must stop eroding neighbours’ sovereignty: top US defence official

TheUnited States warned China yesterday against threatening itsneighbours’ sovereignty and said Washington is investing in new militarytechnology to defend its Asian allies.Washington and Beijing havebeen vying for influence in the region, which hosts potentialflashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and theTaiwan Strait.Ties between the two powers are once again takingcentre stage at the weekend Singapore conference known as the Shangri-LaDialogue, which gathers defence ministers and top military officialsfrom around the world.While the forum is purely on security, thediscussions are being held against a backdrop of Sino-US trade tensionsand high-tech rivalry.“China can and should have a cooperativerelationship with the rest of the region ... But behaviour that erodesother nations’ sovereignty and sows distrust of China’s intentions mustend,” acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told the forum.“Untilit does, we stand against a myopic, narrow, and parochial vision of thefuture, and we stand for the free and open order that has benefited usall, including China.”Washington has been pushing back againstBeijing’s aggressive militarisation of the South China Sea, where Chinahas staked “indisputable” ownership over almost the whole area andrejects partial claims by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines andVietnam.Beijing is also regularly angered by US and other warshipstransiting through the Taiwan Strait, which it considers part of itsterritorial waters.A French warship entered the Strait in April, prompting a warning from China’s navy.Yesterday, French minister of the armed forces Florence Parly said her country’s forces will not be forced from the region.“Wewill continue to sail more than twice a year in the South China Sea.There will be objections, there will be dubious manoeuvres at sea. Butwe will not be intimidated into accepting any fait accompli,” she toldthe forum.For the first time since 2011, China has sent its defenceminister, General Wei Fenghe, to the Singapore gathering. Wei isscheduled to speak today, when he is expected to respond to Shanahan’sremarks.The Sino-US rivalry has placed many Asian countries in abind as they have deep military ties with Washington but enjoy strongtrade relations with Beijing.“The uncertain relationship between theUS and China will remain as an explicit factor in shaping the stabilityof the Asia-Pacific region particularly that of Southeast Asiancountries,” Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu told the conferenceyesterday.“If anything happens in the South China Sea, the worldalso will suffer. We have to increase our defence diplomacy. We loveAmerica, we also love China.”Shanahan said the United States wasinvesting heavily in new military technology to combat fresh threats andmaintain its superiority and capability to defend its Asian allies.Hesaid North Korea “remains an extraordinary threat and requirescontinued vigilance” and stressed Washington would continue to meet itsdefence obligations to Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territoryto be reunified.“The Indo-Pacific is our priority theatre. We arewhere we belong. We are investing in the region,” he said, adding thatmilitary investments will rise significantly over the next five years.“Wewant to ensure no adversary believes it can successfully achievepolitical objectives through military force,” Shanahan said.ShaoYuanming, deputy chief of the joint staff department of China’s CentralMilitary Commission, on Saturday welcomed US efforts to stabilisemilitary ties, but slammed what he said were “erroneous remarks” byShanahan on the South China Sea and Taiwan.“From the very beginning, Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” he said.“Chinamust be unified... If anyone wants to split Taiwan from China, theChinese army will resolutely defend our motherland at all costs.”Thetwo sides have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war onthe mainland in 1949 but China still sees Taiwan as part of itsterritory to be reunified.