On his recent tour through Asia, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter had a message for America’s allies and partners, as well as one for China. He promised to double down on America’s “pivot to Asia” while refusing to acknowledge Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. But his strategy of deeper engagement with Asian countries remains incomplete.
Speaking before the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Mr. Carter reaffirmed that Washington would not recognize China’s land-reclamation activities in the Spratly islands. This was coupled with a demand that all parties stop such actions. He made clear that U.S. military planes would continue to fly through the islands’ airspace and that U.S. Navy ships would continue to sail through waters claimed by the Chinese. Relying on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Obama administration has rightly refused to accept as legitimate land forms any man-made features built on top of reefs. The goal is to negate any legal protection for China’s 2,000 acres of new land.
Unfortunately, when pressed for specifics on how Washington would prevent China from building more islands or fortifying the ones already completed, Mr. Carter had few to offer. This raised concerns that, like his predecessors, Mr. Carter was offering little more than rhetoric, which so far has had no discernible deterrent effect on China. Asian nations realize that when Beijing feels strong enough to ignore American warnings, they have little hope of influencing China’s actions.
The full text of this article will be posted on Monday, June 15.
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