Asean nations react coolly to US navy commander's call for joint patrols in South China sea
Southeast Asian neighbours unlikely to jeopardise growing trade ties despite evidence of Beijing's military build-up in disputed region
The commander of the Japan-based US Navy Seventh Fleet has called on Southeast Asian nations to form a combined maritime force to patrol areas of the South China Sea where there are territorial tensions with China.
Analysts said the initiative signalled the renewed urgency of the United States to preserve its right of free passage through some of the world's most important sea lanes.
But despite China's accelerating reclamation works in the waters, the plan is unlikely to win support from most Southeast Asian countries given their business interests in the world's second-largest economy.
During the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia on Tuesday, Vice-Admiral Robert Thomas suggested that members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) could streamline maritime security and launch joint patrols.
"If Asean members were to take the lead in organising something along those lines, trust me, the US Seventh Fleet would be ready to support it," Thomas said at a discussion panel with navy chiefs from the region.
Thomas also said in January that Japan was welcome to extend air patrols by its Self-Defence Forces into the South China Sea, a disputed area that, in addition to hosting vital sea lanes, is believed to harbour extensive natural resources including petroleum and natural gas.