Military trust under more strain after US tells China it can’t take part in Pacific naval drill
Analysts warn there may be more antagonism to come over South China Sea
The Pentagon’s withdrawal of an invitation for China to take part in a multinational naval drill in the Pacific this summer has put military trust between the two sides under greater strain, analysts say.
The US military said on Thursday it had disinvited China from the Rim of the Pacific exercises, the world’s biggest international naval drill, citing “China’s continued militarisation of the South China Sea”.
Subi Reef, located some 1,200km (750 miles) from China’s coast, now has nearly 400 individual buildings – far more than the other Chinese islands according to private sector data, Reuters reported on Thursday. It could be the future location of hundreds of Chinese marines and a possible administrative hub as Beijing tries to cement its claim to the disputed waterway with a civilian presence, security analysts and diplomatic sources said.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea “raise tensions and destabilise the region” so it had cancelled the invitation.