Top US military official says Beijing achieving immediate South China Sea goals, but further moves should be challenged
- General Joseph F Dunford Jnr, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, warns that any future expansion in the area must be checked with a collective response
- US-China military communication must be improved, he said
With China’s massive build-up on a “pile of rocks” in the South China Sea slowing as China increasingly achieves what it wants militarily, any future expansion by Beijing or others in the area should be checked with clear and coherent collective action, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday.
General Joseph F Dunford Jnr, the nation’s highest military officer, didn’t elaborate during his presentation at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington on what would trigger a potential collective response, what form it would take or what other “tools” might ideally be employed.
“I wasn’t suggesting a military response. But there’s certainly diplomatic and economic steps that can be taken to hold people accountable,” he told a packed audience. “There are other tools, primarily other tools, to deal with it.”
The statements came amid reports by Australian media that Australian military pilots have been distracted by lasers while flying in the region, with “informal Chinese militia vessels” believed to be responsible.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the laser reports or Dunford’s comments. The Australian embassy said it was referring questions on the laser issue to Canberra.
