© AP Photo/ U.S. Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Will Gaskill
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has declared that the United States sees no reason to launch any kind of large scale military moves in South China Sea due to the current level of Chinese activity in the region.
"At this time, we do not see any need for dramatic military moves at all," Mattis said during a press conference held after the meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada.
However, he also sharply criticized Beijing's actions in the region, claiming that they effectively "shredded the trust of nations", according to Stars and Stripes.
"We have watched in the South China Sea, as China has shredded the trust of nations in the region, apparently trying to have veto authority over the security and economic conditions of neighboring states," Mattis said
He added however that disputes should be settled via arbitration and not through force of arms.
The dispute in question involves the ownership of Spratly Islands - a group of islands and associated maritime features in the South China Sea that may be rich in oil and natural gas deposits. China lays claim to the area within the so called nine-dash line which overlaps the exclusive economic zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
In 2013-2014 China launched a large-scale dredging program in the region, creating artificial islands in an apparent attempt to develop its military presence there by building airfields and radar installations. This action provoked criticism from other parties involved in the dispute and from the US which in 2015 deployed the USS Lassen guided-missile destroyer to patrol the area in what appeared to be a challenge to China's territorial claims.
On July 2016, following a unilateral appeal by the Philippines in 2013, an arbitrary tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled against China's claims in the region. However, Beijing does not recognize the tribunal or the ruling which is also not enforceable.
Mattis also confirmed that the US considers the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands a Japanese territory and therefore subject to the mutual defense treaty between Tokyo and Washington.
This development predictably evoked criticism from China which considers the islands its sovereign territory.
"We urge the US side to take a responsible attitude, stop making wrong remarks on the issue involving the Diaoyu islands' sovereignty, and avoid making the issue more complicated and bringing instability to the regional situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.
Comment: Maybe Mattis is stalling for time to develop a plan: The new US administration expands South China Sea conflict