John Kerry’s visit to Asia this week – like Ashton Carter’s last month – is designed to offer reassurance that America’s commitment to the region remains unwavering in the face of increased Chinese aggression. Yet despite these visits, leaders in the region have profound doubts whether the United States is serious about standing up to China. The Obama administration has caused those doubts through its passive, anodyne language. To inspire confidence and give meaning to the oft-derided “Asia Pivot”, the administration must dramatically strengthen its rhetoric and frame China’s aggression in moral terms.
In the South China Sea, in waters between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam, China has been turning reefs into full-fledged islands replete with long runways, sophisticated radar equipment, and facilities for storage and living quarters. In the same area, China is asserting control over international airspace. Chinese naval vessels have rammed Vietnamese fishing boats, and China has placed oil-drilling rigs in waters claimed by Vietnam. Chinese aggression also extends eastward, towards Japan, where the country has regularly entered Japanese waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands.
