Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's biggest security forum, whose participants include some of China's top defense officials, Carter repeated his call for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation works by all claimants but singled out China for being "out of step" with international rules and norms.
Carter noted various countries that have staked a claim on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea developed outposts over the years, citing Vietnam's 48 outposts, the Philippines' eight, Malaysia's five and Taiwan's one. But he said China had gone one step further...
Kyodo News
30/5/15
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Related:
US playing with fire over South China Sea
- EU, Japan say wary of unilateral actions in South China Sea...
- U.S. demands immediate halt to South China Sea reclamation projects...
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US calls for land reclamation 'halt' in South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteThe US has called for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's actions in the area were "out of step" with international rules.
China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with its neighbours.
Chinese officials have described US remarks on the South China Sea as "groundless and not constructive".
Other countries have accused China of illegally taking land to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be for military use............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32941829
30/5/15
Mer de Chine : Washington appelle Pékin à calmer ses ambitions territoriales....
ReplyDeleteLes Etats-Unis ont assuré samedi qu'ils continueraient à envoyer des navires et avions militaires dans les zones disputées de mer de Chine méridionale et appelé à l'arrêt immédiat des opérations d'aménagement de Pékin dans ces eaux.
Lors d'une conférence à Singapour réunissant de hauts responsables militaires, dont des Chinois, le secrétaire américain à la défense Ashton Carter a estimé que la Chine, avec ses constructions d'îles semi-artificielles dans l'archipel des Spratleys, n'était « pas en phase avec les règles et les normes internationales ». L'archipel de plus de 100 îlots, récifs et atolls à mi-chemin entre le Vietnam et les Philippines, est l'une des zones les plus disputées en raison de son importance militaire stratégique. Les Chinois y mènent d'énormes opérations de remblaiement, transformant des récifs coralliens en ports et en infrastructures diverses.
« Tout d'abord, nous voulons un règlement pacifique de tous les différends. A cette fin, il devrait y avoir un arrêt immédiat et durable des travaux de remblaiement par tous ceux qui revendiquent » la souveraineté sur l'archipel, a déclaré M. Carter lors du dialogue annuel du Shangri-La. « Nous nous opposons également à toute militarisation supplémentaire » de la zone, a-t-il poursuivi, soulignant que les soldats américains continueraient à évoluer en mer de Chine méridionale. « Il ne devrait pas y avoir de méprise : les Etats-Unis voleront, navigueront et opéreront partout où les lois internationales le permettent, comme les forces américaines le font dans le monde entier », a-t-il souligné.
Critiques « infondées »
M. Carter a reconnu que d'autres pays avaient développé des avant-postes dans la zone, à des échelles diverses, y compris le Vietnam avec quarante-huit avant-postes, les Philippines avec huit, la Malaisie avec cinq et Taïwan un. « Cependant, un pays est allé beaucoup plus loin et beaucoup plus vite que n'importe quel autre. Et c'est la Chine », a-t-il affirmé. « La Chine a aménagé plus de 800 hectares, soit plus que tous les autres réunis et plus que dans toute l'histoire de la région », a-t-il poursuivi, notant que tout cela a été fait « ces dix-huit derniers mois »...........http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2015/05/30/mer-de-chine-washington-appelle-pekin-a-calmer-ses-ambitions-territoriales_4643915_3222.html#mcLkPFmvfumhTZbU.99
30/5/15
Carter vows U.S. will continue, even step up operations over disputed South China Sea island...
ReplyDeleteDefense Secretary Ash Carter on Saturday urged China to stop trying to convert an artificial reefs in the South China Sea land into a military airfield but that the U.S. has no intentions of ending air and sea operation in the regions.
Carter made his comment at an international security conference filled with Asia-Pacific leaders and also said the United States has been flying and operating ships in the region for decades and opposes “any further militarization” of the disputed lands.
He also said the reclamation project is out of step with international rules and that turning underwater land into airfields won’t expand Beijing’s sovereignty.............foxnews.com
30/5/15
Ash Carter Talks Tough on China, But It's Just Talk...
ReplyDeleteThe United States and China escalated their war of words on Saturday, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter's new bluster did not hold any real strategy against Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. The region is left to wonder whether Washington intends to back up its words.
“There should be an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants” in the South China Sea, Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue here in Singapore. “We also oppose any further militarization of disputed features. We all know there is no military solution to the South China Sea disputes. Right now, at this critical juncture, is the time for renewed diplomacy, focused on finding a lasting solution that protects the rights and interests of all.”
Carter’s remarks were a rehashing of the speech he made two days earlier in Hawaii, where he called on all countries to halt land reclamation in disputed waters and asserted that the U.S. will continue to operate in international waters according to international law and protect freedom of navigation in the region. On Saturday, Carter announced a $425 million Southeast Asia maritime security cooperation initiative and expressed confidence that the U.S. Congress would fund the effort..............http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-30/ash-carter-talks-tough-on-china-but-it-s-just-talk
30/5/15
U.S. Defence Secretary to ask Vietnam to end land reclamation in South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said Sunday he will urge Vietnamese officials to give up their reclamation projects in the South China Sea, making a direct plea after earlier calling for all countries in the Asia-Pacific region to halt the construction of artificial islands.
China's rapidly expanding building projects has raised tensions and caused concerns among the United States and its regional partners.
Speaking to reporters during a stop at a Vietnamese Navy base, Carter said that all the claimants in the South China Sea must halt their reclamation and any further militarization of the sites. Those would include Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, but their projects are dwarfed by China's building program on reefs and atolls, which now totals more than 2,000 acres...........AP..........ctvnews.ca
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