May 27th 2016,
China could be erecting "a Great Wall of self-isolation" with its increasingly provocative
moves against its neighbors, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday.
Carter focused on the Asia-Pacific region during his commencement speech at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Carter said China wants and enjoys the benefits of free trade and a free Internet, but sometimes
chooses to restrict both.
"The result is that China's actions could erect a great wall of self-isolation as countries across
the region - allies, partners and the unaligned - are voicing concerns publicly and privately at the
highest levels, regional meetings and global forums," Carter said. "Such a model reflects the region's distant past, rather than the principled future we all want for the Asian-Pacific."
China has sought to strengthen its claim to almost the entire South China Sea by building new islands
atop coral outcroppings and adding airstrips, harbors and military infrastructure.
The U.S. government refuses to recognize these features as having the same legal claim to naturally
occurring islands, and while taking no formal position on sovereignty claims, insists that all nations
enjoy the right to freely sail and fly through the strategically vital area.
The United States is committed to upholding the freedom of navigation and commerce and peaceful
resolution of disputes, Carter said.
"We're committed to ensuring that these core principles apply equally in the South China Seas
as they do everywhere else," he said. "Only by ensuring that everyone plays by the same rules can
we avoid the mistakes of the past where countries challenged one another in contests of strength
and will with disastrous consequences."
Carter said that while China says the South China Sea should be handled separately from the broader
U.S.-China relationship, "the United States cannot do such a thing."
"China's actions there challenge fundamental principles, and we can't look the other way,"
Carter said.
China could be erecting "a Great Wall of self-isolation" with its increasingly provocative
moves against its neighbors, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday.
Carter focused on the Asia-Pacific region during his commencement speech at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Carter said China wants and enjoys the benefits of free trade and a free Internet, but sometimes
chooses to restrict both.
"The result is that China's actions could erect a great wall of self-isolation as countries across
the region - allies, partners and the unaligned - are voicing concerns publicly and privately at the
highest levels, regional meetings and global forums," Carter said. "Such a model reflects the region's distant past, rather than the principled future we all want for the Asian-Pacific."
China has sought to strengthen its claim to almost the entire South China Sea by building new islands
atop coral outcroppings and adding airstrips, harbors and military infrastructure.
The U.S. government refuses to recognize these features as having the same legal claim to naturally
occurring islands, and while taking no formal position on sovereignty claims, insists that all nations
enjoy the right to freely sail and fly through the strategically vital area.
The United States is committed to upholding the freedom of navigation and commerce and peaceful
resolution of disputes, Carter said.
"We're committed to ensuring that these core principles apply equally in the South China Seas
as they do everywhere else," he said. "Only by ensuring that everyone plays by the same rules can
we avoid the mistakes of the past where countries challenged one another in contests of strength
and will with disastrous consequences."
Carter said that while China says the South China Sea should be handled separately from the broader
U.S.-China relationship, "the United States cannot do such a thing."
"China's actions there challenge fundamental principles, and we can't look the other way,"
Carter said.
