Slamming China for its recent assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region, a US lawmaker today said Beijing's rhetoric about the South China Sea is "blatantly false" and consensus among the countries on a free and open Indo-Pacific is now growing.
China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea (ECS). China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.
Congressman Ted Yoho said that consensus among the countries on a "free and open Indo-Pacific" is now growing.
"China's rhetoric about the SCS is so blatantly false that it must be designed for a domestic audience, because the rest of the world isn't buying it. Led by democracies, the countries of the Indo-Pacific and the world at large are converging towards a shared vision of free and open future for these water, and it's not the one China is pushing," he said.
The US has adopted a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategy for Asia that emphasises freedom from coercion, and open sea lanes, airspace, and trade an implicit rebuke of China's desire for a balkanised region.
"At the Shangri La defense dialogue in Singapore (last week), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address, making it clear that India's vision for the 'Indo-Pacific' is consistent with the 'free and open' US strategy," Yoho said.
Japan has also adopted a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategy, and Australia has begun to approach Asia as the "Indo-Pacific" as well. Other regional democracies have adopted similar, compatible strategies, including Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, and South Korea's New Southern Policy, both of which focus on the ASEAN, the lawmaker said.
"The consensus of nations on a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' is growing, and its proponents are beginning to work together to see it realised," Yoho said reacting to a recent Chinese statement.
Responding to a recent US freedom of navigation operation in the SCS, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "(if) someone armed to (the) teeth comes to your doorstep every now and then, poking around and showing off muscles, aren't you justified in sharpening vigilance, taking precautions, and increasing defense capacities?
The consensus among countries in the region, he said, puts the lie to Hua's colourful metaphor about the armed stranger "showing off muscles".
"Let's not forget, China's 9-dash line claims have been totally invalidated before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the activities of the US and our partners to uphold the freedom of navigation are consistent with that judgment. When it comes to the SCS, it's China who is the disruptor, and China who is crosswise with everyone else," Yoho said.
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