ASIA-SECURITY/SOUTH CHINA SEA US, Japan say China's island-building in the South China Sea erodes security

Record ID: 149593

  • Title: ASIA-SECURITY/SOUTH CHINA SEA US, Japan say China's island-building in the South China Sea erodes security
  • Date: 31st May 2015
  • Summary: SINGAPORE (MAY 30, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) JAPANESE DEFENCE MINISTER GEN NAKATANI SAYING: "With regards to security issues, they don't disappear on their own. If an unlawful situation is left unattended, order will soon turn to disorder and peace and stability will collapse." DELEGATE ASKING QUESTION SINGAPORE (MAY 30, 2015) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) JA
  • Embargoed: 15th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Singapore
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XMEIICJUYJ5QAWJXT79YY4QM
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The U.S. and Japan warned on Saturday (May 30) that Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea was undermining security in the Asia-Pacific.
    U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter called for a diplomatic push to solve the territorial dispute.
    "First, we want a peaceful resolution of all disputes. To that end, there should be an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants. 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 a finding a lasting solution that protects the rights and interests of all," he said at a security conference in Singapore.
    He said the United States was "deeply concerned" about the scale of China's land reclamation and the prospect of further militarization of the islands.
    Carter's remarks came a day after the Pentagon confirmed reports that China had put mobile artillery at one of its reclaimed islands in the South China Sea, a move that Republican Senator John McCain said was "disturbing and escalatory."
    China, which claims most of the South China Sea, criticised Washington after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs last week, with both sides accusing each other of stoking instability.
    "There should be no mistake: the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as U.S. forces do all around the world. America, alongside its allies and partners in the regional architecture, will not be deterred from exercising these rights - the rights of all nations."
    Carter is currently on an 11-day trip to Asia, his second since becoming the U.S. defense secretary earlier this year. With an eye on Chinese activity in the South China Sea, he has made maritime security a theme of his travels.
    Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani warned China's reclamation projects risked creating disorder in the region.
    "With regards to security issues, they don't disappear on their own. If an unlawful situation is left unattended, order will soon turn to disorder and peace and stability will collapse," he said at the same conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
    " I hope that China and all the others involved will behave in a responsible manner. For example, the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea this should be developed as soon as possible, and not just discussed but realised through action," he added.
    The Spratleys are claimed by a half a dozen countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and China.
    Japan and the United States do not have territorial claims in the South China Sea.
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