PRESS RELEASE
China Delivers Strong Rebuke to Carter at Shangri-La
June 5, 2016 (EIRNS)—The Chinese have responded to Ashton Carter’s claim that the Chinese are in the act of self-isolating themselves with their activities in the South China Sea. "Carter’s claims are incorrect and do not accord with the actual situation," Guan Youfei, director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese Central Military Commission, told the media, yesterday. Guan said the United States should learn lessons from the wars it had waged in the Asia-Pacific region after World War II and play a constructive role in the region.
Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China’s Central Military Commission, also delivered his speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue conference, in which he directly addressed the Carter rant from Saturday, from a much higher level.
"The world today is undergoing historic changes as never before and the Asia-Pacific countries share good times and bad times together," he said. China thus advocates a new security outlook, featuring inclusive, shared and win-win security cooperation, he said. In order to lay a solid foundation for security governance, Sun also called for nations to seek mutual understanding and accommodation through dialogue and consultation. "The jungle law goes against the trend of the times and belligerence does not make peace," he said. "The Asia-Pacific countries should refuse the Cold War mentality, deepen and expand security cooperation featuring no-conflict, no-confrontation, no targeting against a third party, mutual benefit and win-win."
On that theme, he said that
"The Asia-Pacific countries have constituted a community of shared destiny, interdependent and inseparable. The bright future for the Asia-Pacific region has to be facilitated by common development and common security of all regional countries."
Instead of the NATO-type alliance that Carter called for yesterday, Sun advocated a new security outlook, featuring inclusive, shared and win-win security cooperation by all.
"From the defense and military perspective, China believes that countries in the Asia-Pacific region should work together to promote security governance,"
he said. As for China’s claims in the South China Sea:
"China will not bear the consequences, nor will it allow any infringement on its sovereignty and security interest, or stay indifferent to some countries creating chaos in the South China Sea,"
Sun said.
Sun also addressed American plans to deploy a THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. "This will erode the security of the (Asia-Pacific) region," he said.
"As a soldier myself, I am well aware of the meaning of (the deployment). Deploying THAAD in the Korean Peninsula is an excessive measure that by far exceeds current U.S. defense capabilities,"
he noted. "Non-conflict, non-confrontation as well as non-targeting for a third country should be pursued," he added, apparently accusing the U.S. of zeroing in on China. South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo countered that "The discussion of THAAD deployment originated in a move to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats." Han stressed that "THAAD would only be aimed at North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats that are becoming more sophisticated." He also stressed that South Korea "undoubtedly has the will to deploy THAAD."
Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov echoed Admiral Sun on security arrangements for the Pacific in his remarks to the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit.
"The existing regional security system based mainly on a network of closed military alliances does not contribute to creating an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, nor does it meet the interests or concerns of all Asia-Pacific states,"
he said. "Closed military blocs are a relic of the past," Antonov said.
"Instead we suggest mutually respectful partnership, recognition of nations right to determine their fate independently, renouncement of any attempts to ensure one’s security at the expense of the others."
John Kerry is not in Singapore, but he issued a warning to China anyway, from Ulan Baator, in response to rumors reported in the media that China might be on the verge of declaring an ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) in the South China Sea. "We would consider an ADIZ ... over portions of the South China Sea as a provocative and destabilizing act which would automatically raise tensions and call into serious question China’s commitment to diplomatically manage the territorial disputes of the South China Sea," Kerry said. "So we urge China not to move unilaterally in ways that are provocative."
Kerry arrived in Beijing Sunday from Mongolia, where he made a short stop-over. He will be co-chairing the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which will take place June 6-7.
