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Opinion | US must come clean on its desire to contain China in the Indo-Pacific

  • The US’ declared goal is a free and open Indo-Pacific, but its defence arrangements and displays of force in the region tell another story
  • Not only is Washington undermining the very principles it claims to uphold, it is clearly targeting China

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) shakes hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on July 9, 2022. Photo: AFP
On September 6, the US deputy chief of mission to Japan accused China of threatening “the safety of our waterways”, adding that, “no nation should be able to dominate Indo-Pacific waters through coercion and outright intimidation”.
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He apparently did not realise the hubris of the use of “our waterways” or the irony that these accusations could equally apply to the US.

This speech was part of a US attempt to win the hearts and minds of Southeast Asians and demonise China. It implicitly stresses the US vision for the region – and criticises China for not complying. However, it is replete with hypocrisy.

The United States envisions a “free and open Indo-Pacific” in which all countries adhere to its interpretation of international law. To uphold this vision, it proclaims that it will “fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows”, while opposing the threat or use of force to settle disputes.
It also claims that it supports Asean “centrality” in regional security affairs and that its defence initiatives like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Aukus alliance are not aimed at China. These statements are repeated by US analysts and government officials and reported without analysis by the Western media. However, they deserve deeper examination.
US Deputy Chief of Mission Raymond Greene (centre) with Japanese Vice-Minister of Defence Kimi Onoda (left) and Philippine Chargé d’Affaires Robespierre Bolivar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: AP
US Deputy Chief of Mission Raymond Greene (centre) with Japanese Vice-Minister of Defence Kimi Onoda (left) and Philippine Chargé d’Affaires Robespierre Bolivar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday. Photo: AP
The US construct of a free and open Indo-Pacific and the mantra of protecting freedom of navigation assume that China is a threat to these principles. But China has not threatened commercial freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific and is unlikely to do so in peacetime.
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