Pentagon chided for war games snub of Chinese navy

Washington’s recent decision to exclude China from the world’s largest naval war games is “short-sighted” and a missed opportunity to continue building cooperation and easing tensions, according to a leading Asian opinion maker.

Late last week, the Pentagon uninvited China from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, the yearly set of war games held in the Pacific that regularly includes more than two dozen nations. The announcement came from Department of Defense and cited China’s continued militarization of the South China Sea as the reason for the move.

A Tuesday editorial in The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s leading English language newspaper, argues that leadership in Beijing views the use of artificial islands in the region as military outposts — as necessary to protect Chinese sovereignty — particularly critical navigational routes.

“With American warships and surveillance vessels regularly traversing the waters, the latest on Sunday involving a destroyer and a cruiser near the Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands, there is every need for the sides to engage to prevent mishaps. Kicking the People’s Liberation Army Navy out of a process meant to build trust and cooperation is short-sighted,” the editorial said.

The editorial noted that Chinese island-building and construction of military outposts in the disputed waters “is not new and the Chinese navy took part in the past two Rim of the Pacific war games.” The biggest change, it argues, is “the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency and a markedly more hawkish stand towards Beijing.”

The SCMP highlights three missions this year by U.S. warships into disputed South China Sea waters. The missions were seen in Washington as “freedom of navigation” but officials in Beijing viewed the actions as provocations.

Also noted is that the RIMPAC decision comes at a crucial time in negotiations to prevent a trade war between Washington and Beijing — in addition to the buildup to the upcoming Korean peace talks, where China, as North Korea’s closest ally, has a clear behind-the-scenes role.

“The Rim of the Pacific exercises … bring navies together to strengthen military-to-military partnerships, improve readiness for a wide range of operations and enhance the way countries communicate and work together,” the SCMP editorial wrote. “As China’s navy modernizes and expands, so will international expectations for its participation in helping with humanitarian crises and protecting navigational routes.

“Nations with shared goals have to work together,” the editorial concluded. “For China and the US, that means easing tensions and cooperating. The Rim of the Pacific exercises are a perfect venue and the Pentagon should reassess its decision.”