Mattis wand the Chinese foreign and military policy

(To Matteo Acciaccarelli)
06/06/18

United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis, speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he strongly criticized Chinese foreign and military policy on the disputed islands in the South China Sea. It is not only the situation in Taiwan that worries Mattis, but also the "intimidating and coercive" policies implemented by Beijing against neighboring countries, which contradict what Xi Jinping said in 2015 when he reassured that China would not have militarized the South China Sea.

Beijing's politico-military moves have led the United States to withdraw the invitation extended to China for RIMPAC, the largest joint naval exercise in the Pacific.

Mattis's accusations, as reported Defense News, are moved by virtue of the recent deployment of aircraft and ships with electronic warfare, capable of disturbing and "blind" potential opponents. This is not all, however, because in this important chessboard for the equilibrium of the South-Western Pacific, air-ground and anti-ship missiles would have been deployed on the artificial islands built by Beijing. Finally, as icing on the cake, recently in one of these islands were also deployed bombers with nuclear capabilities H-6K (v.articolo).

For the United States, obviously, the Chinese attitude and ambitions on the area are unacceptable, not least because that precise maritime area represents a strategic crossroad of considerable importance. First of all for an energy issue, in fact the area is rich in oil and methane gas fields, controlled and divided among the 5 "powers" of the area (Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Philippines). Another important aspect, in some respects underestimated, is the massive presence of fish in that specific area which, for China, would represent a large supply of food for a demographically growing country. The third aspect concerns the sea routes, in fact in the South China Sea passes, towards the Strait of Malacca, the main trade route in the world (the Circum Equatorial Route) essential for Chinese trade in the world. The Chinese expansionism in the area, in fact, could be read also in this key, since Beijing's foreign policy is oriented to ensure the safety of its trade routes, as in the case of Djibouti and Port Said.

For the United States also, however, the safety of the trade routes and the freedom of navigation in them is of primary and vital importance. It is easy to imagine how much the Chinese policies have led the United States to withdraw the invitation to China for RIMPAC. In addition, Mattis also touched on the recent renaming of the US Pacific Command in the American Indo-Pacific Command. The new name, as stated by Mattis, serves to make understand the new US priorities in the area and is closely linked to the increasingly large interconnections between the two oceans.

The other thorny issue in the South China Sea and, in part, in the Eastern Sea is the situation in Taiwan. Also because "the other China" has always been linked and friend of the United States. Mattis stressed that aid and defense systems needed to maintain Taiwan's defense capabilities will continue to come from America. In addition to reiterating this, he also reaffirmed the firm US opposition to any unilateral, obviously Chinese, attempt to change the status quo of the small Republic of China. A warning to China that it would incorporate Taiwan into the People's Republic of China by all means necessary, including the use of force. Mattis, however, has not only criticized China: in his speech he underlined how important China is in the regional chessboard of the Pacific, hoping that it will have a role and a voice in shaping the international system together with the United States, cooperating whenever possible .

To conclude, it is assumed that the United States will continue to remain committed to the region, which with the Trump administration has transformed into the main scenario, continuing a policy of cooperation for the security of the States present in the area. The main US task will be to continue to cultivate historical alliances with South Korea and Japan, so as to be able to delegate some challenges to security, and to improve relations with the States present in the South China Sea in order to increase capacity defense and improve interoperability with the US armed forces.

(photo: US DoD / US Navy / Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China)