Singapore, June 1: Acting US defence secretary Patrick Shanahan has said on Saturday the United States would not “tiptoe” around China with Asia’s stability at risk ranging from Taiwan to the strategic South China Sea.
According to Reuters news reports, indirectly making accusations of “actors” trying to destabilize the Asian region, Shanahan said the US would not ignore China’s behaviour, during a “constructive and productive” meeting held in Singapore on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogues security summit between Shanahan and Chinese foreign minister Wei Fenghe on Friday.
At the forum, Shanahan said, “Perhaps the greatest long-term threat to the vital interests of states across this region comes from actors who seek to undermine, rather than uphold, the rules-based international order.”
He added, “If the trends in these behaviors continue, artificial features in the global commons could become tollbooths, sovereignty could become the purview of the powerful.”
Shanahan’s first speech after assuming the office in January came as Washington and Beijing struck in escalating trade conflict and at loggerheads over the range of security issues in Asia.
His reference to “artificial features” was a swipe at islands which were built by Beijing in the strategic South China Sea, a disputed waterway almost claimed by China.
“We’re not going to ignore Chinese behavior and I think in the past people have kind of tiptoed around that,” Shanahan said.
Responding to Shanahan’s comments, the Chinese foreign minister said the US actions over the disputed waterway and Taiwan were not that much conducive to maintaining stability in the region.
Shanahan responses it was in the interest of China to bolster constructive cooperation with the US, but also added, “Behavior that erodes other nations’ sovereignty and sows distrust of China’s intentions must end.”
“Until it does, we stand against a myopic, narrow, and parochial vision of the future, and we stand for the free and open order that has benefited us all – including China.”
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