US 'sharpening sword' to deal with China in the East Sea

Defense Secretary Ash Carter declared on September 30 that the US will “sharpen its sword” to deal with China’s aggressive moves in the East Sea.

According toAP, the above statement was made by Mr. Ash Carter in a speech on September 29 on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier currently docked in San Diego, USA.

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber will become America's "strategic" card in the region. Photo: AP.

Reassure allies, deter China

Defense Secretary Carter has detailed the next phase of the U.S. pivot to Asia, aimed at reaffirming its commitment to regional security after long being criticized for being too focused on the Middle East.

Experts say that Mr. Carter's speech is also aimed at reassuring America's allies who are "restless" in the face of China's increasing tensions in the East Sea.

Accordingly, Mr. Carter said, the Pentagon will equip the US Navy's attack submarines to make them "more deadly" and spend more on building unmanned underwater vehicles that can operate in shallow waters where submarines cannot operate.

“The United States will continue to sharpen its weapons to remain the nation with the greatest military power and the first choice of its allies in ensuring security in the region,” Mr. Carter emphasized.

Secretary Carter also promised: “We have some “pleasant surprises” for you” and criticized China for “having times of overly belligerent behavior.”

“Sometimes China seems to want to follow only those principles that it sees as beneficial to itself and ignore those that are not. For example, freedom of navigation allows Chinese ships and planes to travel anywhere in the world, but they criticize other countries for doing the same in their own region.

However, these principles are universal and apply equally to all subjects and all countries, not just to China,” Mr. Carter emphasized.

Increase troops to Asia - improve throughcontact with Philippines

Before giving the remarkable speech on the Asia pivot policy mentioned above, in April, Mr. Carter had pledged to “send more of the most elite soldiers and the most modern weapons to the Asia-Pacific”.

The weapons include 5th generation stealth multi-role super fighters F-22 and F-35, P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, B-2 and B-52 long-range strategic bombers and many other types of warships, notably the most modern amphibious assault ship USS America.

Mr. Carter affirmed that Asia-Pacific is "the most important region for America's future" and the presence of US military power here has "strategic importance to America".

In addition, Mr. Carter is expected to seek to improve relations with the Philippines, which have been severely damaged recently.

Previously, when visiting the Philippines in April, US Secretary of Defense Carter affirmed that his visit "opened a new era in the long-standing alliance between the US and the Philippines".

Mr. Carter also praised the US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and emphasized: “I am very proud that the relationship between our two countries is stronger than ever.”

However, just two months later, the US-Philippines alliance relationship suddenly took a dramatic turn since Mr. Duterte became President in June.

The climax of the “icy” relationship between the two countries came when President Duterte publicly called Mr. Obama a “son of a bitch” in early September, leading Mr. Obama to cancel a meeting with Mr. Duterte on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos.

After that, despite declaring that he “regretted his words,” Mr. Duterte this week affirmed that the joint military exercise between the US and the Philippines next week will be the last.

According to Mr. Duterte, the only reason the US and the Philippines are still conducting this exercise is because the two sides have cooperated with each other for the past 65 years. However, the Philippine Foreign Minister immediately “corrected” Mr. Duterte’s statement.

After the "correction" of Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay, Mr. Carter affirmed that the relationship between the US and the Philippines "remains very close" and committed: "Through the US-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the US will support the modernization of the Philippine military."

According to VOV