It was “not very reassuring,” Jeffrey Ordaniel told VnExpress, referring to the address by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore a week ago. Ordaniel, Research Fellow with the Pacific Forum, felt that while Mattis outlined what America wants to see in the so-called Indo-Pacific Region, he failed to clearly articulate how Washington could help smaller countries resist pressure and coercion from China. He could not even clearly commit to defend the Philippines, a mutual defense-treaty ally, in the South China Sea, Ordaniel noted. The South China Morning Post quoted the Defense Secretary as saying that the “the U.S. will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperating when possible and competing vigorously where we must … of course we recognize any sustainable Indo-Pacific order has a role for China.” But the U.S. bark seems to lack bite, analysts feel. On May 23, the U.S. disinvited China from participating in the large-scale naval exercise known as Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, planned to take place from June 27 to August 2, 2018. The Pentagon cited China’s rapid military buildup on disputed islands in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, as the reason for withdrawing the invitation, the New York Times reported. “Mattis for this year repeated the warning, insisting that there would be consequences to China’s actions. What are those consequences? From what I have seen the RIMPAC dis-invitation was the only consequence, a very disproportionate response when compared… [Read full story]
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