WASHINGTON, Jan 24: A top US military commander has expressed concern over tension between China and Japan over the issue of contentious islands in East China Sea and hoped that the two neighbours will find a solution through dialogue.
“I am concerned,” Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of US Pacific Command, told reporters here when asked about the current state of tensions between Japan and China.
“I would say that any time you have two large powers, two large economic powers, two large military powers that have a disagreement that they’re not talking to each other about, that has no clear diplomatic end state in sight, that the cost calculation can grow. In this case, you just have primarily maritime security forces that are in and around those contested islands,” he said.
“We have to continue to hope that there will be diplomatic dialogue and a solution to this, because it’s not productive for the region and it needs to be ultimately resolved,” he said.
Locklear said the Chinese are pursuing hypersonic technologies.
“The fact that they are testing…Whether the Chinese are developing them or we’re developing them or Europeans are developing – that will continue to complicate the security environment with high-tech technology and the systems,” he said.
“We will have to figure them into the calculation of how we’re going to maintain a peaceful security environment in the future,” the PACOM Commander said.
Responding to questions, Locklear said in some ways, there are some positive aspects of how the Chinese are using their military forces in a productive way.
“They participated in Operation Damayan in the Philippines. They provided disaster relief. They’re operating, more frequently in multilateral exercises that are being done throughout the region, and as we’ve talked about, they’re planning to come to RIMPAC, so that’s still well on track,” he said.
“As you go into the Gulf of Aden, they’re operating further away from home and participating in the security in those particular regions,” he added.
Locklear gave a passing grade for US-China military relationship last year.
“I would say that because we have been able to continue our mil-to-mil relationships, even though there has been churn in the region, particularly in the local region that’s close to China,” he said.
In regard to their activities in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, it is yet to be determined about how that will play out. “Ultimately, China needs to be a regional leader. Their military needs to be a regional leader. It needs to coexist in that part of the world with our allies and with our militaries, and we need to work together for the mutual security,” Locklear said.
“I think they’re going to have to work hard to get through some of the issues, the territorial disputes they’re having with their neighbors. You know we don’t take sides on the territorial disputes, but we do expect them to be done peacefully,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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