Pinahayag ni General Joseph Dunford, chairman ng Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, na hindi natupad ni President Xi Jinping na hindi imi-militarize ang South China Sea.
Ayon kay Dunford, ipinangako ni Jinping sa dating pangulo ng US na si Barrack Obama noong 2016 na hindi gagawing militarisasyon ang South China Sea.
“So what we see today are 10,000 foot (3km) runways, ammunition storage facilities, routine deployment of missile defence capabilities, aviation capabilities, and so forth,” pahayag ni Dunford sa isang talk tungkol sa US security at defense sa Brooking institution.
Ayon kay Dunford, ang nangyayari sa pag-angkin sa South China Sea ay may kailangang sundin na kaukulang rule of the law, international law, norms at standards. Magiging ‘new standard’ na lamang ito kung hindi masunod.
Ngunit pahayag naman ni Dunford na hindi niya iminumungkahi ang military response. Mayroon lamang “coherent collective action” kung may nailabag sa batas.
“They need to be held accountable in some way so that future violations are deterred,” dagdag niya.
