U.S. to Continue Push for Stronger Military Ties With China

(WSJ) The next commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific said Thursday he wouldn’t deviate from his predecessor’s strategy of seeking stronger military ties with China and other countries in the region despite conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., who currently commands U.S. Navy forces in the Pacific and was confirmed last week as the next chief of the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command, said China has been increasing tensions in the South China Sea in recent years, pushing several of the region’s countries to seek the U.S. as their security ally.

“I think China’s actions are making countries out here—some of them—look to the U.S. as their security partner of choice, not China,” Adm. Harris said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. 

He said his tactics “won’t differ at all with Adm. [Samuel] Locklear. I support what he is doing completely and I don’t think you’ll see any change.”

Adm. Harris, who will be the first Asian-American to lead the U.S. Pacific Command, said stability and predictability in the disputed area—traits that have been absent in the last few years—are the priorities for the U.S., and it is looking to establish strong relationships with countries in the region independently of China. “I want my stocks to rise at a predictable pace; I don’t like this up and down stuff,” he said.

The biggest threat to Asian security, according to Adm. Harris, is North Korea. He said the country has “a completely ruthless leader” who is unpredictable and is on a “quest” for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them across continents. “That should keep everyone at awake at night, and it keeps me awake at night,” he said.

Adm. Harris said he has made 19 visits to Pacific nations this year. “I can’t oversell the value of our deepening relations and capacity building efforts with partners like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam,” he said.

While tensions in the region have eased in recent months, relations between Vietnam and China broke down earlier this year after a Chinese oil rig moved into waters claimed by both countries. The two-month standoff drew criticism of Beijing’s actions from Washington.

In late 2013, China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone over disputed parts of the East China Sea, requiring aircraft to provide details of their flight plans, and has continued land reclamation and building work on disputed islands in the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and several other nations.

Adm. Harris said China’s move to set up an air defense identification zone “is not the action of a great nation,” and applauded the Philippines for challenging China over maritime rights in a case filed with United Nations arbitrators.

But he emphasized that the U.S. wants its military relationship with China to be one of cooperation. 

“It’s not about us versus China. It’s about us and China and the other countries here working together to improve the stability and prosperity of this whole region,” he said.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Jake Maxwell Watts and Gaurav Raghuvanshi