CHINA’S military activity in the South China Sea is on the rise but the US has no plans to withdraw from the region, a top American military officer warned.
“It’s building. It’s not reducing in any sense of the word,” Adm. Philip Davidson, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said in Singapore, commenting on Chinese military activities in the contested waterway, Bloomberg News reported.
“There has been more activity with ships, fighters and bombers over the last year than in previous years, absolutely,” he added, calling it a “hazard.” He further remarked that while China’s military spending is on a reduced growth trajectory, there is no sign of a slowdown in Chinese defense capabilities.
Davidson’s comments are the latest from a senior U.S. official seeking to reassure allies in Southeast Asia of the American commitment to what Washington refers to as the Indo-Pacific region. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo last week in Manila assured the Philippines that a defense treaty would apply if its vessels or planes are attacked in the South China Sea.
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