Any activity that “puts at risk” the critical waterway of South China Sea is of concern to countries like India and the U.S., the Pentagon has said.
“The critical waterway that the South China Sea is for so much of global commerce, that for anything to put that at risk right now would certainly be of concern to the United States,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
“We believe other countries in the region [are concerned as well], and that includes India,” he said.
The issue was discussed during U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter’s recent visit to India, Mr. Cook said.
“The Secretary talked about this when he was in India, that China’s actions in that part of the world have raised questions among many nations in the region,” he said.
“And India has its interests, it’s freedom of navigation.
I believe the Secretary feels that India can speak for itself on these issues.
The U.S. interests in that part of the world and the notion of a part of the world where there is no NATO, but there is a security architecture there that has been able to foster [China’s economic] boom,” Mr. Cook said.
