During a speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, expressed his concerns over China’s actions in the South China Sea. He stated that China’s attempts to gain territory through force are destabilizing the region, citing naval skirmishes between China and the Philippines, including the use of water cannons and verbal clashes.
Aquilino specifically mentioned the situation at Second Thomas Shoal, where a confrontation between the Chinese Coast Guard and a fishing vessel resulted in injuries to six sailors. He questioned China’s next steps in the region and highlighted similar actions being observed in other places such as Japan and Malaysia. He emphasized that China’s actions were not isolated incidents, but part of a larger attempt to unilaterally gain land through force.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory and has a fleet of Coast Guard ships stationed over a thousand kilometers from its mainland to assert its control. The response to the Philippine encroachment is seen by China as appropriate in defending its territorial claims in the region.
While China maintains its stance on territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea, Aquilino’s remarks underscored
