China continues to expand its military, financial, and political reach throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
The relationship between the U.S. military and China has become more competitive, as the U.S. has tried to enforce the sanctions on North Korea, a Defense Department official noted.
Randall Shriver, DOD’s assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said in the past, the relationship with China was a mixture of engagement and competition, but that has changed in recent years. “We pressed them hard on North Korea,” Shriver said. “We’re trying to enforce the sanctions, and the primary method by which North Korea is attempting to evade the sanctions are through illicit and illegal ship transfers, primarily coal, going out and oil going in. Over time, much of this activity has moved into Chinese territorial waters.”
Speaking on the Defense One-sponsored panel “The China Gap: To Fight or Compete?,”Shriver said China’s leaders profess to be in favor of enforcing the sanctions, but they don’t do it.
He said Chinese army vessels are going outside Chinese territorial waters to shadow and harass U.S. vessels that are trying to enforce the sanctions.
Shriver said China’s military capability is growing, and that is an increasing concern for the U.S. “I hope it gets on a more cooperative path,” he said.
But Shriver said that China’s economic and military aspirations are different from those of the U.S. and nations in the Indo-Pacific region — and that’s at the heart of the problem.
The Chinese want a system more accommodating to their authoritarian model that allows them to exert greater economic and military influence in the region, he said.
However, the U.S. and nations in the region want a free and open Indo-Pacific, Shriver said. And that means upholding international law and norms; protecting other countries’ sovereignty no matter how big they are Celery:This item is considered to viagra on line uk be an excellent food to incline your sexual stimulation. If you are suffering from downtownsault.org viagra on line erectile problems, one of the simplest ways to improve and enhance sexual activity. Are there any Side Effects to this drug? Some men taking Propecia may experience a decrease in sex drive, sexual dysfunction, or changes to ejaculation. http://downtownsault.org/downtown/shopping/up-north-nutrition/ buy generic levitra Watermelon is cheap viagra said to be drug-free treatment for men with erection disorders and premature ejaculation too. reciprocal trade; and peaceful resolution of disputes.
The U.S. military’s response to China’s aggressive stance — particularly in the East and South China Seas — has been to engage with allies and partners in the region on things like multilateral exercises, strengthened defense alliances and maritime presence patrols that include transit through the Taiwan Strait.
Shriver said DOD is also investing in ways to sustain its military edge over China, particularly in the emerging areas of space, cyber and hypersonics.
The idea behind this investment is to ensure the U.S. prevails in any contingency, which should give China pause to use military means for its objectives, he said.
But Shriver emphasized that the U.S. doors are open to cooperation.
Shriver said he frequently meets with his Chinese counterparts, and Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper spoke with Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe via video teleconference from the Pentagon on Nov. 5.
Shriver said he expects Esper will soon meet Fenghe.
“We want to work with China on risk reduction, confidence building, crisis management and communications modalities, and we want to work with them on real-world problems,” he said.
Further enhancing concerns about China’s growing military power in the Indo-Pacific, This summer, a variety of media reports indicated that China and Cambodia signed a “secret agreement” giving the PRC use of that nation’s Ream naval base, where, notes the Jamestown Foundation, it may station military servicemen and warships, for 30 years. Both nations have vigorously denied the reports, but the move would be consistent with Beijing’s policies. According to the Jamestown Foundation, the “Ream naval base is the latest in a network of regional security projects—including Cambodia’s Dara Sakor investment zone and Thailand’s Kra Canal—which, taken together, significantly improve Chinese power projection into the Indian Ocean Region. News of the Ream agreement raises the specter of increasing Chinese maritime militarization at a time of intense unease in Southeast Asia.”
Photo: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxwell McMann directs a Seahawk helicopter aboard the guided missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence during a replenishment-at-sea with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos in the East China Sea, Sept. 18, 2019.