Two of the highest-ranking military leaders in the Pacific are traveling to China in a sign of ongoing military-to-military relations after the United States angered China on Monday by conducting a “freedom of navigation” operation near one of its man-made islands in the South China Sea.
Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., head of the U.S. Pacific Command, headquartered at Camp Smith, departed Hawaii on Thursday for a six-day trip to South Korea and China, the command said.
Navy Adm. Scott Swift, who leads the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, also plans to visit China in the near future.
Harris will visit U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea before joining U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter; Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, for the 2015 Military Committee Meeting and Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul.
On Monday, Harris will begin his first official visit to China as the Pacific forces commander. In addition to meeting with U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus, Harris will spend three days with senior military leaders from the People’s Liberation Army and visiting Chinese military installations, the command said.
The United States on Monday reasserted freedom of navigation in the South China sea by sailing the destroyer USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, an artificial island created by China in an area claimed by the rising Asian power as part of its sovereign territory.
The United States maintains the waters are international and can and should be traversed freely by shipping.
The U.S. action is expected to be an ongoing point of debate between U.S. and Chinese leaders.
“U.S. freedom of navigation operations are conducted on a routine basis in international waters and airspace across the globe,” said Capt. Darryn James, chief spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command. “The operations serve to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law and should not be construed as a threat by any nation. The United States takes no position on competing sovereignty claims to land features in the South China Sea, and we encourage all claimants to solve disputes peacefully and without coercion.”
James added that “while I’m sure that freedom of navigation operations will be discussed during this visit, Adm. Harris and Chinese military leaders will also talk about how we can maximize cooperation on areas of mutual interest while candidly addressing and managing disagreements. Sustained military-to-military dialogue is important to the overall U.S.-China relationship, one that we want to see improve for the benefit of both our countries and the entire Indo-Asia-Pacific region.”
Harris’ trip was planned well before the “freedom of navigation” demonstration. But in the past China has sometimes cut off military relations with the United States after it was angered by actions such as arms sales to Taiwan.
