US naval chief's vow will damage regional stability
If the United States provides "help" in the event of a conflict between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, as a US admiral pledged on Thursday, it would damage regional stability and undercut existing efforts to resolve territorial disputes, Chinese observers said.
Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the US chief of naval operations, told students at a defense college during a Thursday visit to Manila: "Of course we would help you. I don't know what that help would be, specifically. I mean we have an obligation because we have a treaty."
The remarks by Greenert - that the US would honor its 1951 treaty with the Philippines to defend one another if there is an external attack - comes amid territorial claims from Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam over China's sovereign territory in the South China Sea.
Greenert said he wanted to send a "clear signal ... that aggressive behavior outside international norms is contrary to good order".
"You may have seen some statements coming from our policymakers exactly in that direction. You will see more of that from us," he added.
He also said the US navy would increase its presence in the western Pacific Ocean, from its current total of 50 ships to 60 ships by 2020.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday that China is urging the US not to take sides in the regional dispute.
"Our position on the issue has been very clear that China has consistently advocated direct negotiations, which should be based on historical facts, between relevant parties," Hua said.
She stressed that the US is not involved in the South China Sea disputes and that the US and the Philippines should "do more that will benefit true peace and stability in the region rather than the opposite".
Zhang Junshe, deputy director of the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said Greenert's comments were irresponsible and run counter to the US government's previously stated position on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
"The Philippines has been provoking China with disputes over the South China Sea. Greenert's remarks will have a negative effect on regional stability since his support of the Philippines' provocations will encourage other countries in the regional disputes to follow in Manila's footsteps," Zhang said.
Wu Shicun, head of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Greenert's remarks are an indication that the US is using the disputes in the South China Sea to contain China's influence in the region.
"We are seeing that the US' attitude on the South China Sea disputes has changed over the years, from being neutral, to limited intervention and now to positive intervention," Wu said.
The US is taking this tactic to support its strategic pivot to Asia and maintain its dominant position, he added.
Reuters contributed to this story.
zhaoyanrong@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 02/15/2014 page8)
