Defense Secretary Ash Carter, accompanied by Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, issued a subtle warning to China on Thursday in a news conference aboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea.
“This is has been a region which has enjoyed stability for a long time. It would be a shame if people here ruined that. And I don’t expect that to occur because I think the United States will continue to play the role it has,” Carter told reporters.
“A lot of people are flocking to us, wanting us to maintain that role. We intend to. The power of the TR is a reflection of that,” he added, alluding to the carrier’s nickname, “The Big Stick.”
Carter’s visit came after he attended a meeting of ASEAN defense ministers this week in Malaysia, which ended without a joint statement because of disputes over China’s territorial claims in the area, which the United States and nearly all regional countries oppose.
“There is a lot of concern about Chinese behavior out here, and that was signified in a meeting I was just present at,” Carter said. “And many countries in the region are coming to the United States and asking us to do more with them so that we can keep the peace out here. So this is a symbol and a sign of the critical role the United States’ military power plays in what is a very consequential region for the American future.”
Carter’s visit is the latest move in a stepped-up U.S. effort to contest China’s claims. Late last month, the destroyer Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of the man-made islands Beijing is building on disputed reefs in the South China Sea, drawing rebukes from Chinese officials and praise from U.S. lawmakers who had been pressuring the Obama administration to take stronger action against the reclamation project.
