On September 9, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, held a video conference with his Chinese counterpart, General Wu Yanan, Commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command. The men are the top American and Chinese military leaders for the region that has been the scene of multiple aggressive moves by China against U.S. allies, including the Philippines.
In a statement, the Pentagon said the call was a “deliverable” from the meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2023, when the two leaders agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communications.
Admiral Paparo underscored to General Wu the importance of sustained communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation or misperception. The Pentagon stated that Admiral Paparo “reinforced the PLA’s [People’s Liberation Army’s] obligation to comply with international laws and norms to ensure operational safety. Paparo also urged the PLA, the Pentagon said, “to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.”
During August, such tactics by China, particularly against Philippine vessels, were used to an alarming extent. In a statement, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller condemned “the dangerous and escalatory actions by the People’s Republic of China against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the ... South China Sea. ... The PRC’s unlawful claims of ‘territorial sovereignty’ over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, threaten the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations.”
At a recent press briefing, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Andrew Sugimoto warned that China is undermining its status with its destructive behavior, which includes ramming Philippine vessels and injuring Philippine mariners.
“China wants to be seen as a member of the world that has a set of rules and enforces it, but whenever they do things like ramming or water cannoning unarmed vessels, it does not appear so. When they uphold the rules themselves, and thy stand and lead by example, that’s when the rest of the world will notice that they are in fact world leaders and not bullies.”
In his talk with General Wu, Admiral Paparo expressed the hope that discussions with his Chinese counterpart would continue. In the meantime, the United States continues to urge the PRC, as Spokesperson Miller said, “to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.”
