A prominent editorial in Xinhua yesterday warned that the U.S. is engaging in provocative activities related to the South China Sea, stating that “Washington’s coercion tactics against ASEAN are not likely to work. The ASEAN countries share collective sentiments that stability and development are of vital importance to the region. While trying to portray China’s action as `aggressive’ in the South China Sea, the United States itself is the most dangerous factor fueling militarization and stoking tensions in the region.” This is the same formulation used by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in his Sept. 9 speech to the ASEAN foreign ministers’ summit, which was countered by a bellicose speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Xinhua editorial notes the sharp increase in U.S. military activities in the region, having “sent nearly 3,000 sorties of military aircraft to the region in the first half of 2020…. Washington sent aircraft carriers and other warships here more than 60 times between January and June under the pretext of protecting `freedom of navigation.’”
