China’s illegal claims and aggression in Indo-Pacific risk regional peace, US Admiral warns

Taipei: The US Navy’s objective of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region pertains to Taiwan, as stated by Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler during the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday, as reported by Taipei Times.

The conference, hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), serves as an international platform for high-level officials and experts from nations with security concerns in the area.

“The mission of the Pacific Fleet is to prevent aggression throughout the Western Pacific in collaboration with our allies and partners, and to be ready to win in combat if necessary,” Koehler mentioned in his keynote address at the event.

Koehler further emphasised that “this mission of deterrence is applicable across the entire region, including the South China Sea and Taiwan.” He noted that China’s illegal claims in the South China Sea reflect its wider ambition to assert dominance over the region.

According to Taipei Times, Koehler said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has increased its deployments and displayed more aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea, alongside conducting drills that simulate an invasion and blockade of Taiwan along the first island chain.

He observed that Beijing’s ambitions also target Southeast Asian nations beyond the first island chain, employing increasingly assertive tactics to “intimidate and harass them in their waters.”

Koehler reported that the PLA and the China Coast Guard have used water cannons, engaged in ship-to-ship collisions, and deployed lasers, even assaulting the crew of a Philippine Navy supply vessel with knives and axes last year.

He noted that the Indo-Pacific is viewed by both the US Navy and the US Department of Defense as “the primary theater,” a perspective demonstrated by the Pacific Fleet’s capacity, which includes 200 ships and submarines, 1,300 aircraft, and one-third of its forces actively deployed at any time.

The region currently has two carrier strike groups operational: one focused around the USS Nimitz, which has been active in the South China Sea in recent months, and another centered on the USS George Washington, patrolling the western Pacific, as stated by the admiral.

Tetsuo Kotani, a senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, also addressed the conference, mentioning that Tokyo is formulating the “Japan Single Operational Area” strategic concept to enhance defense collaboration in the region.

This concept envisions the East China Sea, South China Sea, Korean Peninsula, and surrounding waters as a cohesive theater of military operations whereby Japan and its allies will operate collectively, according to Kotani.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that Indo-Pacific countries will encounter significant obstacles in sustaining peace and stability within this framework if Taiwan is excluded from regional security agreements.

He further stated that the ongoing adherence of various governments to Beijing’s “one China” principle complicates the inclusion of Taiwan.

However, he advocated for Taiwan to be allowed to participate as an observer in joint military exercises such as the US-Philippine Exercise Balikatan, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), and other multilateral training sessions, Taipei Times reported.