Mattis warns of Chinese 'intimidation' in the South China Sea

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SINGAPORE — China's placement of weapons systems on manmade islands in the South China Sea is designed to intimidate and coerce others in the region, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Saturday, laying out a sharp criticism of Beijing at an international security forum and threatening larger consequences if militarization continues.

Mattis warned that America's recent move to disinvite China from a multinational naval exercise this summer was an "initial response"to the militarization of the islands. It was, he said, a "relatively small consequence, I believe there are much larger consequences in the future."

China relying on muscle to use weapons to pursue goals not favored by international tribunals "is not a way to make long-term collaboration the rule of the road in a region that's important to China's future," Mattis said, when asked to elaborate more on the consequences.

"There are consequences that will continue to come home to roost, so to speak, with China, if they don't find a way to work more collaboratively with all of the nations who have interests."

Image: South China Sea — Satellite imagery shows what the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative describes as the deployment of several new weapons systems, including a J-11 combat aircraft, at China's base on Woody Island in the Paracels, South China Sea May 12, 2018.HANDOUT / Reuters

The U.S., he said, remains committed to ensuring free and open transit in the region. And he said he doesn't believe that China's actions will pay off. Militarizing the islands, Mattis said, will not enhance China's standing in the world.

"Despite China's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion," Mattis said, referring to the recent deployment of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, electronic jammers and other equipment on the Spratly Islands, and the landing of bomber aircraft at Woody Island.

Mattis also struck at one of the key, longstanding disputes between the U.S. and China, telling the conference that America will continue to provide defense equipment and services to Taiwan and oppose any effort to alter the status quo.

Image: Jim Mattis, Itsunori Onodera, He Lei — Defense Secretary James Mattis, Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and China's People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science Deputy President He Lei in Singapore on Saturday.Yong Teck Lim / AP

China claims the self-governing island as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary.

But in a quick pivot, he said the U.S. welcomes cooperation with China "wherever possible," and announced that he has accepted Beijing's invitation to visit there soon. It remains to be seen if that invitation will stand after this conference.

Mattis' comments triggered an equally pointed reaction from a Chinese official at the meeting.

Senior Col. Zhao Xiaozhuo said a U.S. move a couple years ago to send two warships into China's "territorial waters" was a violation of law, and an "obvious provocation to China's national security and territorial integrity."

U.S. warns China of 'consequences' over reported missiles in South China Sea

As expected, the Pentagon chief gave only a brief mention of the ongoing negotiations for an historic summit later this month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump announced Friday that the summit he had canceled with Kim is now back on . The summit is expected to take place in Singapore on June 12.

Mattis said the Pentagon will "hold the line" and support the diplomatic effort to secure the "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The Pentagon leader's comments at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue came in the wake of a tumultuous few weeks between the U.S. and China.

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