US defense official: “It’s up to China if they want to escalate and threaten a ship that’s sailing in international waters.”

United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Dr. Joseph Felter talked to media about the South China Sea. PHOTO BY JP SORIANO

The United States has expressed concern over the statement of a high ranking Chinese official, who called for a more aggressive approach against the US warships conducting freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

According to a report from the Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times, the president of the Institute of Marine Safety and Cooperation and a senior colonel in the People's Liberation Army Air Force Dai Xu, said that "If the US warships break into Chinese waters again, I suggest that two warships should be sent: one to stop it, and another one to ram it,"

According to the Global Times report, Dai also said that Beijing should not allow American warships to "create disturbance."

In an interview with GMA News and selected media outlets, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Dr. Joseph Felter said that while the US is not gearing up for a confrontation with China they will continue to exercise their right of freedom of navigation operations and that they will abide by the international law.

“We do not intend to enter into Chinese waters, we intend to enter into international waters, both in the South China Sea and everywhere in the world and exercise our rights under international law, so this would be China’s move, if they want to escalate and threaten a ship that’s sailing in international waters in accordance of international law we would be concerned and we hope that would not be a decision they make,” said Felter.

The US defense official, without directly pointing to China or the Philippines, said that a country should not allow other countries to initiate intimidation and that backing down is like rewarding a bully.

“If some actions by any country to intimidate course or deny any country its right to exercise international law if they modify their behavior and backed down we feel like we’re almost rewarding the bullying,” Felter said.

The United States also hopes that ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China will come up with a Code of Conduct (COC) that will protect the interest of ASEAN member-countries who have claims in the South China Sea.

But Felter said the COC should not deny the rights of non-claimant countries and non-ASEAN members from conducting its legal and treaty obligations to the regional group.

Felter added that “We hope that ASEAN will come together with some consensus and make sure that we think that’s in their interest not to shut out any other country, let’s hope that no one is pressured bullied or coerced and doing something that’s not in the interest.”

SWS Survey results

The United States on the other hand is happy about the recent survey that says 61 percent of Filipinos believe that the US is committed in defending the Philippines.

Felter affirmed that the US will always defend the Philippines as their treaty ally and that the survey is an indication of the strong alliance of both the US and the Philippines.

“They’re treaty ally and we’re gonna defend our treaty ally and do what we can to ensure it’s interest,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte have previously said that he doubts if the United States will indeed protect the Philippines in an event of an attack or war.

Felter who reiterated that the US respects the Philippines independent foreign policy said, “If that’s his interpretation of course that’s up to him to describe but we don’t look at our alliance as anything short of fully committed iron clad and we will always support our treaty ally the Philippines.” — BAP, GMA News