The United States is accusing china of expanding territory illegally as the COVID-19 is keeping Asian countries busy fending off infections in their territories.
According to the US, China has been busy maneuvering while the allies are busy dodging the coronavirus outbreak in areas near Taiwan and the South China Sea.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday, in a virtual conference of the US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers. They discussed the actions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and how China is stealing territory openly. The US said it opposes the bullying of China in their home waters.
In a press briefing, Pompeo said before meeting ASEAN partners,"The Chinese Communist Party is exerting military pressure on Taiwan and coercing its neighbours in the South China Sea, even going so far as to sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel. It is hoped that other nations will hold them to accountable." Reports said that the U.S. will not let China get away with it and will support the ASEAN.
The U.S. and Asean summit aims to strengthen ties with ASEAN nations, especially that China acts like a bully while expanding its territory. The US/ASEAN dialogue was moved because of the coronavirus outbreak, China is suspected as the propagator of the COVID-19 disease.
Warning of the possible pushback against China's illegal claims are answered by conducting flight operations in the South China Sea since mid-April to show that Washington is not backing down, but facing the threat of the encroaching PLA in ASEAN home waters.
So far, Beijing has coopted and declared "research stations" on land features in the disputed waters making military bases on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef. They also have special military aircraft landings on Fiery Cross Reef, confirmed the state department.
Acts opposed to civilized nations, Chinese official declare their illegal pilfering of disputed areas in the South China Sea legal, but The Hague ruling does not support this action. The PLA has been engaging in hostile actions against peaceful ships.
As a show of force, the Chinese are patrolling areas that are not theirs, even sailing their Haiyang Dizhi 8 Fleet on disputed tracts of the South China Sea last week.
The Taiwan defense ministry said a battle group entered the east coast of Taiwan, then into the Taiwanese south on April 11 or 12, engaged in exercises to show off their fleet that has not engaged in actual combat, just preparatory exercises to prepare the PLA.
Drew Thompson, a former U.S. defense official in Taiwan remarked China's PLA is pushing forward as other nations got their hands full with the coronavirus. He is also a senior research fellow at National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
This is a renewed criticism of China's ruling Communist Party which is under suspicion why they did not report the outbreak, and delayed its reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO).
As of this writing, the WHO is now questioned why it defers to China like a PR company for Beijing.
As the COVID-19 out happens now, it appears that the United States accusation of China's illegal expansionism has validity.
