US taking advantage of South China Sea dispute: Analyst

The United States and its allies are exploiting the South China Sea dispute to increase their military presence and fuel unrest in the Asia Pacific region, a former American intelligence linguist says.

“There has been many disputes in the area and certainly foreign nations have taken advantage of the resources in the region when it comes to fishing, oil and gas exploration,” Scott Rickard told Press TV on Tuesday.

“China is not violating any international law and is absolutely setting up a deterrent, a forward [operating] base, in defense of their country because of the aggressive nature of not only the United States, but other NATO allies that have controlled the international waters for over 500 years,” Rickard said.

The United States has dramatically increased its military maneuvers across the South China Sea over the past few months, prompting angry protests from China and Russia who accuse Washington of fueling unrest in the Asia Pacific region.

Military activity has become the “new normal” in US-Pacific relations and is meant to counter efforts by Beijing and Moscow and show “military superiority” in the increasingly crowded and competitive region, ABC News said in a report on Tuesday.

“We're for freedom of navigation and following the rules, and to an extent we are pushing back against changing the rules,” said Derek Chollet, a former assistant defense secretary for international affairs.

The United States is concerned that China is extending its military reach in the South China Sea by developing man-made islands to accommodate military airfields and weapons systems. 

American warships have deliberately sailed close to one of the land formations three times in the past seven months to test China’s territorial claims.

“The US is trying to claim that it is keeping the maritime waters free for transport and navigation. Needless to say that the small islands that the Chinese have built… are not interrupting any navigation whatsoever,” Rickard said.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter plans to visit the region next week for an annual Asian national security conference.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counterclaims by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. China is also locked in disputes with Japan and South Korea over the East China Sea.

Across Southeast Asia, concerns about China and its growing military have created an opportunity for the US to improve relationships.

China has repeatedly criticized US military presence in the region and suspects the military drills are part of efforts to contain Beijing.

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