Secretary Mattis brings moral clarity to the Pacific rim

Addressing that region's two biggest issues, he said this:

The U.S. and China appear to be headed for a more confrontational relationship in Southeast Asia as Washington warns of a more aggressive response to the militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea. 

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned there could be “much larger consequences” in the future from China’s moves to install weapons systems on islands in the sea. He didn’t specify what the consequences would be. 

The warning, in response to a question from an audience member, came after a speech by Mr. Mattis in which he said “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.”

He also called his decision to not invite China to the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise, slated to begin later in June, “an initial response” to its increased militarization of the South China Sea. 

His comments were the most assertive yet in response to what he has described as a ramp-up of Chinese military activity in the past month. This appeared to lay the groundwork for an increased U.S. military—or even economic—response. 

China recently sent an H-6K heavy bomber to Woody Island, one of the areas under dispute. It also installed surface-to-air and antiship cruise missiles and communication-jamming equipment on some islands, U.S. officials have said. The U.S. responded last month by sending two Navy warships into the South China Sea to conduct a freedom of navigation operation. 

Beijing’s activities are “in stark contrast to the openness of what our strategy promotes; it calls into question China’s broader goals,” Mr. Mattis told a packed house of international military officials, senior global lawmakers, experts and others on Saturday. 

China says it has “indisputable” sovereignty over a number of South China Sea islands and the surrounding waters. It says its new facilities are for defensive and civilian purposes.

Lt. Gen. He Lei, of the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Sciences, delivered a frank defense of China’s armaments in the South China Sea. Beijing has deployed soldiers and weapons there for defensive purposes, he said, calling criticism of those developments irresponsible.

“If we deploy soldiers and weapons in the South China Sea, it is just a matter of China’s sovereignty,” he said at a panel discussion Saturday after Mr. Mattis spoke.

China was the hottest topic of conversation during talks at the three-day conference, even though President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are scheduled to meet here June 12. Mr. Mattis a passing reference to the eagerly awaited summit, saying diplomats were leading the way. On Friday, Mr. Trump said the summit was back on, just a week after canceling it in a letter to Mr. Kim. 

“Our objective remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Mr. Mattis said, making no mention of maintaining the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign, which included tough sanctions. Hours earlier, after a White House meeting with a top North Korean official, Gen. Kim Yong Chol, Mr. Trump said he would no longer use the term. 

Speaking later before a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea on Sunday, Mr. Mattis said the U.S. wouldn’t give North Korea sanctions relief until it had confirmed it no longer had a nuclear weapons program. “North Korea will receive relief only when it demonstrates verifiable and irreversible steps to denuclearization,” he said.

The defense chief also portended an unpredictable period in the days leading up to the talks.

“We can anticipate at best a bumpy road to the negotiations,” Mr. Matis told his counterparts. “As defense ministers, we must maintain a strong collaborative defensive stance so we enable our diplomats to negotiate from a position of strength at this critical time.”

The only thing is that his boss's mercurial economic behavior throws a wrench into his efforts for foster cohesion among our Pacific-rim allies:

In his main speech earlier in the conference Saturday, Mr. Mattis sought to reassure allies that the U.S. remained a reliable partner even after the Trump administration pulled out of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement and, earlier in the week, imposed aluminum and steel tariffs on the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

“America is true in both word and deed,” Mr. Mattis said. “America remains committed to maintaining the region’s security, stability and economic prosperity, a view that transcends America’s political transitions and will continue to enjoy Washington’s strong bipartisan support.” 

With regard to security issues, though, the US is finally assuring its friends that it remains resolute that counterproductive behavior from bad guys will not be overlooked.