Unequivocally Military Advance

True intention of China to reinforce its military capability has been unclear since the beginning of this century. Now, China seems to be confident that it grew big enough to the extent of being able to confront against the world’s greatest superpower. A Chinese military official unequivocally admitted that China’s effort of landfill in South China Sea was for military purpose. While United States has still been reluctant to determine China’s intention in its positive armament, the Asian dragon is going be uncontrollable.

The speech of Chinese delegation in Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore was bold enough to convince other nations in their unshaken willingness for hegemony in the region. “It is to improve the quality of Chinese workers’ life and to fulfill military and defensive necessity,” told Admiral Sun Jianguo, Deputy Chief of People’s Liberation Army General Staff. “It is also,” Sun added, “to take further international responsibility for maritime searching, disaster prevention, weather observation or preserving environment.”

On China’s landfill in South China Sea, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, requested immediate suspension few days before. Sun directly answered the request with complete denial. Justifying their activity as not disturbing freedom of navigation, Sun implicitly criticized Carter, saying “Irresponsible reference based on subjective viewpoint should be refrained.”

It is supposed that the landfill is a preparation for setting new air defense identification zone in South China Sea. Although Sun avoided referring to that possibility, an officer of Chinese military told reporters that runway being built in Spratly Islands would be for dual use of both military and civilian.

United States is still wishy-washy. It has never shown firm determination not allowing China hegemony in this region. U.S. action against Chinese advance is to urge China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations to conclude legal binding “action standard,” including self-restriction of intimidation. But, China dismissed to have such a standard. ASEAN is actually divided between anti-China countries like Vietnam or Philippine and neutral nations such as Singapore.

Japan would do nothing as long as U.S. does not take action. Minister of Defense, Gen Nakatani, urged China to maintain regional peace to the reporters in Singapore. “Related nations are worried about it. I oppose to unilateral change of status quo,” Nakatani stated. While political leaders are willing to support the countries in Southeast Asia, they are reluctant to exercise collective self-defense right in the region, because the constitutional reinterpretation was simply a personal agenda for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.