Chinese General: Abe, Hagel Speeches Are Provocative Toward China
Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong Says Hagel's Speech Full of Intimidation
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel with Lieutenant-General Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, in Singapore on Saturday. Reuters
SINGAPORE—A senior Chinese general on Sunday accused U.S. and Japanese officials of making provocative statements toward China, rebutting criticism of Beijing's recent actions in disputed Asian waters.
The comments by Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, the Chinese military's deputy chief of general staff, marked a robust riposte to U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who used speeches at a weekend security summit to rebuke China for allegedly acting outside of international law in asserting claims in the East and South China seas.
Analysts say this verbal jousting, played out at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, also demonstrates China's firmer confidence in resisting perceived attempts by other Asia-Pacific powers to contain its growing military and economic might.
"The speeches of Mr. Abe and Mr. Hagel are provocative actions against China," Lt. Gen. Wang told delegates at the Dialogue.
The general, China's top military delegate at the Dialogue, said he was surprised by the speeches, which contained "unwarranted criticism" and appeared to be coordinated to "stage a provocative challenge against China."
On Saturday, Mr. Hagel told the Dialogue that China was trying to settle disputes through coercion and accused Beijing of taking "destabilizing, unilateral actions" in the South China Sea. His comments came after Mr. Abe on Friday at the same summit denounced what he said were unilateral attempts—outside of international law—to alter the strategic status quo in Asia, albeit without explicitly naming China.
Such criticisms were also echoed by several Asia-Pacific defense ministers at the summit, which came days after a near-miss between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft over disputed islands, and weeks after Beijing deployed an oil-drilling platform in waters claimed by both China and Vietnam.
Lt. Gen. Wang disagreed, saying China is committed to peaceful development and observes proper processes in handling territorial disputes. He also referred to a new Asian security concept floated recently by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which rejects external interference in domestic affairs and the use of military alliances.
"China has never taken the first step to provoke troubles," the general said in comments that he said were deviations from his prepared remarks. "China has only been forced to respond to the provocative actions by other parties."
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, listens to Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, right, at the start of their meeting on Saturday in Singapore. Getty Images
In contrast, "Mr. Hagel's speech is full of hegemony, full of words of threat and intimidation," Lt. Gen. Wang said. "It was a speech…to create trouble and make provocations."
Even so, the general expressed appreciation for Mr. Hagel's candor over Mr. Abe's thinly-veiled chiding of China. "If I were to compare the attitudes of Mr. Abe and Mr. Hagel, I would prefer Mr. Hagel's—it is better to be more direct," Lt. Gen Wang said. The Japanese prime minister, in his view, went against the "spirit of this Dialogue," he added.
Officials and analysts following the Dialogue said they were struck by Lt. Gen. Wang's combative rhetoric, which seemed to deviate from the calmer tone struck by Chinese delegates in previous years.
"China is very significantly upping the ante here," said Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University. "What we're seeing is a steady and sharp increase in the overtones of the strategic rivalry."
Such stridence could hurt its reputation, but "China doesn't show up to an event like the Shangri-La trying to make people like them," Mr. White said. "It wants to show to everyone that U.S. power is waning," and that Beijing is increasingly willing to test the limits of U.S. alliances across Asia.
Lt. Gen. Wang's remarks drew a slew of comments and queries from delegates, who pressed the general to clarify China's views on international maritime law and its territorial claims—including the "nine-dash line" that denotes Beijing's broad claims to almost the entire South China Sea and contradicts partial claims by several Southeast Asian countries.
In response, the general said China's claims to the South China Sea were grounded in history, and that Beijing fully respects maritime laws such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea—an international instrument that China has ratified while the U.S. hasn't.
Beijing, according to Lt. Gen. Wang, is also committed to creating a code of conduct for the South China Sea, as stipulated in a 2002 declaration by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. That agreement was meant to curb confrontation but has yet to be fully implemented, and many analysts remain skeptical that significant headway can be made anytime soon.
The general also reassured his audience that discord between China and U.S. can be managed and reduced, while bilateral military ties remain relatively unaffected.
Some delegates, however, weren't convinced.
"I'm worried at the rhetoric, for sure. It affirms our worry that there's a new—maybe not a Cold War—but a wave of animosity among the major powers," said Dino Patti Djalal, former Indonesian ambassador to the U.S.
"As an Asean member, we're worried we could be pulled in different directions," he said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Indonesia. "And that's already being felt."
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