US “will not give up an inch” in the Pacific, says Esper in a swipe to China

(Reuters) – The United States has a responsibility to lead in the Pacific and “will not give up an inch” to other countries that think their political system is better, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in a thin veil on Wednesday. China.

Speaking during a visit to Hawaii, Esper said she hopes to work with China to get it to respect international rule-based order, even as Beijing, which has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises, pursues aggressive military modernization.

China had not kept its promises to abide by international law, rules and standards, adding that Beijing wanted to project its power worldwide, he added.

“To advance the CCP’s agenda, the People’s Liberation Army is pursuing an aggressive modernization plan to reach a world-class army by the middle of the century,” said Esper, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. .

“This will undoubtedly embrace the provocative behavior of the PLA in the South and East Seas, and everywhere else the Chinese government has taken a critical view of its interests.”

While the United States intends to intimidate China, it also “hopes to continue working with the People’s Republic of China to get it back on a path that is more in line with international rules-based order,” Esper said.

Esper, speaking for a regional tour, described the Indo-Pacific as the epicenter of a “competition of great power with China”, although added that along with Russia China’s presence was now global and that the United States should be able to deal with both worldwide .

“The United States has a responsibility to lead. We have been a Pacific country, an Indo Pacific country for a very long time, ‘said Esper.

“We will not give up this region, an inch of land if you will, to another country, any other country that thinks its form of government, its views on human rights, its views on sovereignty, its views on freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, all of these things, that is somehow better than what many of us share. ”

Washington and Beijing are at odds over everything from trade and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea waterway and elsewhere.