BANGKOK– America’s top diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific criticized China on Thursday for using intimidation tactics against other countries in the region to push its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea.
Speaking to reporters after returning to the United States following meetings with officials in Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei, Daniel Kritenbrink said he had used the trip to underscore Washington’s commitment to ensuring all countries enjoy freedom of navigation and to respect the freedom of overflight in the country. the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
He said China has “taken a number of steps in the South China Sea that violate international law, but also use coercion to intimidate partners in a way that we find deeply unacceptable and destabilizing,” said Kritenbrink, deputy -Secretary of Foreign Affairs. of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its own territory and has active disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. The country has become increasingly assertive with its maritime presence in the resource-rich and busy waterway, and Kritenbrink’s comments came the same week a Chinese coast guard ship sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel at sea.
Tuesday’s hostilities around the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal were just the latest in the disputed waters, which many fear could spark a wider conflict between China and the US and its allies.
The US regularly sails warships through the Taiwan Strait and conducts naval maneuvers in the South China Sea and “wherever international law allows it,” which Kritenbrink said shows that “all countries share the same rights.” have their own ability to protect their sovereignty and their own interests,” he said.
“If we do that, we will maximize our chances of avoiding miscalculations and conflicts and, again, promoting peace and stability,” he said.
In Beijing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the US of causing trouble in Taiwan and the South China Sea, without naming them.
“In the event of unreasonable provocations, we will only take countermeasures,” Wang told reporters. “We also advise certain countries outside the region not to cause trouble, not to take sides and not to become disruptors and troublemakers in the South China Sea.”
In addition to security issues, Kritenbrink said his conversations with officials in the region also included discussions about economics, climate and energy policy and other issues.
During meetings with new Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, he said he again raised U.S. concerns about China’s involvement in the expansion of the Ream naval base, a project begun under Hun Manet’s authoritarian father, Hun Senator. Hun Manet succeeded Hun Sen as prime minister last year.
Although Cambodia maintains that its constitution does not allow foreign military bases on its territory, two Chinese naval vessels already docked in December. The base on the Gulf of Thailand could give China better access to the nearby strategically important Strait of Malacca.
“The United States and a number of countries in the region have expressed serious concerns about the intent, nature and scope of the construction of the Ream Naval Base, as well as the role played by the military of the People’s Republic of China in this process and in the future use of the facility,” Kritenbrink said.
He did not say how Hun Manet responded to the concerns, but said overall “we had a very productive and frank exchange.”
During his tour of Southeast Asia, Kritenbrink said, he sought to reassure officials that even as much of the world’s attention is currently focused on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the U.S. remains committed to the region.
“Despite the many global challenges we collectively face, the United States remains squarely focused on the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
It is a region, he said, “where we believe much of the history of the 21st century will be written, and where America’s future security and prosperity will largely be determined.”