Esper accused Beijing of intimidating nations across the Pacific, depriving countries with claims in the South China Sea of fishing rights and billions of dollars of oil and gas revenue. He also accused China of “blatant disregard for international commitments.”
“Make no mistake, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has been involved in this type of behavior for many years,” said Esper. “But today, his true intentions are in full view of everyone.”
The chief defense officer of the United States, in an online speech to the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Washington was prepared to keep its promise to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, relying on a three-pillar strategy to do so: “preparedness, strengthening alliances and promoting a more interconnected region”.
The partnerships were critically important, said Esper, who called them “a strategic network that our competitors cannot match.”
That network was displayed around the Indo-Pacific when Esper spoke from the Pentagon.
In the Philippine Sea, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and his strike group teamed up with Australian and Japanese warships to conduct joint exercises.
And in the Indian Ocean, the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group teamed up with four Indian warships to practice communications and air defense drills.
“I want to highlight our increased defense cooperation with India, one of the most important defense relations of the 21st century,” said Esper.
In addition to India and its former American allies, Japan and Australia, Esper recited a long list of Asian nations that are cooperating with the United States in matters of military and maritime security.
These include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam, all nations with claims in the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, most of which China claims as its own sovereign territory.
The Indian Navy noted the type of cooperation Esper was talking about when he tweeted Monday about his exercises with the United States Navy. Indian warships had recently completed similar exercises with the Japanese and French navies, he said.
While US partners are putting their military hardware in positions to make a statement with the exercises, they are also voicing what they see as a more belligerent China.
He also criticized Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
India gets vocal
India has also expressed its opinion on the issue of the South China Sea, although unlike Japan, it does not regularly deploy military forces there. It has no territorial claims in the region, but like many countries, it depends on the shipping routes occupied in and around the South China Sea.
Twice in May, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made statements claiming that the waters of the South China Sea are a global common that should be subject to freedom of navigation regulations.
“There is nothing new in terms of position, but the tone and tone of the statement tells you that India is going to speak louder about what is happening in the South China Sea,” said Abhijit Singh, a Senior Officer and Head of Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
In April, the Philippines issued what analyst Richard Javad Heydarian called an “unprecedented statement of solidarity” with Vietnam, once a rival, after a Vietnamese fishing vessel was sunk by suspected Chinese Coast Guard vessels.
“I’ve never seen anything like this come out of the Department of Foreign Affairs (of the Philippines),” said Heydarian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A statement from the US Navy at the time showed the message Esper relayed on Tuesday.
“Nimitz and Reagan form the most effective and agile combat force in the world, supporting the United States’ commitment to mutual defense agreements with regional allies and partners, and promoting peace and prosperity throughout the Pacific Pacific,” said the release.
However, Beijing says it is Washington that threatens the rule-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.
Wang accused Washington of harboring “a Cold War mindset” against China and just staying by international laws and treaties that advanced its policies, according to Xinhua.
Article They noted reports of PLA fighter jets deployed on Woody Island in the contested Paracel chain, known as the Xisha Islands in China, in the extreme north of the South China Sea.
Those Chinese planes and bomber fighters participated in two days of drills attacking maritime targets, the Global Times said.
Due to US actions such as dual-operator exercises, “China is forced to take countermeasures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the Global Times.
Despite demonstrations of military might, both Esper and Chinese officials said they do not want to see military conflict in the region.
A visit from the United States to Beijing?
Esper said Tuesday that he hopes to visit Beijing before the end of the year.
“We are committed to a constructive and results-oriented relationship with China and within our advocacy relationship to open lines of communication and risk reduction,” he said.
“China is committed to developing a China-United States relationship that offers non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang said on Monday.
But the Global Times, citing Chinese analysts, called for caution in seeing Esper’s hopes of visiting Beijing.
On Tuesday, the United States government abruptly ordered China to “cease all operations and events” at its consulate in Houston, Texas, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in what it called an “unprecedented escalation” in recent actions taken by Washington.
United States Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the consulate was ordered to close “to protect American intellectual property and the private information of Americans.”
CNN’s Maneeva Suri contributed to this report.
.
