US Navy admiral who says Beijing’s South China Sea territorial claims should be challenged starts China visit
The commander of United States forces in the Pacific, who previously said Washington should challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, started a three-day visit to China on Monday.
United States Navy Admiral Harry Harris’ visit was arranged before the warship USS Lassen, which is under his command, sparked a rebuke from Beijing after sailing within 12-nautical-miles (22km) of two artificial islands, Michief and Subi reefs, built by China in the disputed Spratly Islands on October 27.
Read more: American military commander says US should challenge China’s claims in South China Sea; Beijing expresses concern
Watch: China warns US over sea patrols
On Thursday, China’s navy chief Admiral Wu Shengli warned his US counterpart, Admiral John Richardson, during a video call that even a minor confrontation between their two militaries in the South China Sea could culminate into conflict.
Harris’ trip to China is his first official visit to the country since he took command of the US’ Pacific forces in May.
He would meet senior People’s Liberation Army officials and also visit some Chinese military installations, said Major Dave Eastburn, a spokesman for the US Pacific Command.
However, the topic of the US South China Sea patrol would not be on the agenda, he said.
In September, before President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US, Harris said that America should challenge Beijing’s claim to territory in the South China Sea by patrolling close to artificial islands that it had built.
“I believe that we should exercise – be allowed to exercise, freedom of navigation and flight, maritime and flight, in the South China Sea against those islands that are not islands,” he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In July Harris said: “The South China Sea is front and centre in the tug-of-war between the majority of regional nations that want to maintain the status quo and China that wants to change it to suit its narrow self-interest.”
Read more: Beijing's South China Sea island building has polarised Asean nations
He added: “Rather than pursing diplomatic actions to address their disputes, China is changing tactics “through aggressive coercive island building without meaningful diplomatic efforts toward dispute resolution or arbitration.”
“While Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have also conducted land reclamation in the South China Sea, their total – approximately 100 acres [40 hectares] over 45 years – is dwarfed by the size, scope and scale of China’s massive build-up. In only 18 months, China has reclaimed almost 3,000 acres.”
He also said the US would use military force to defend its interests and its allies against any threats from the islands.
Harris is the first Japanese-American to achieve the rank of admiral.
He will be accompanied by his wife, who studied in Shanghai in the 1980s.
Despite the increased tension, China and the US have agreed to maintain dialogue to avoid clashes.
Both US and Chinese defence ministers will attend the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Minister’s summit, which starts on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, and will run until Sunday.
Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, is also reported to visiting China shortly.
