Or China?

US warns over Beijing's 'assertiveness'
By Kathrin Hille in Beijing

Published: May 25 2010 17:50 | Last updated: May 25 2010 23:59

The commander of US forces in the Pacific has warned that China's military is more aggressively asserting its territorial claims in regional waters.

Admiral Robert Willard told the Financial Times: "There has been an assertiveness that has been growing over time, particularly in the South China Sea and in the East China Sea."

EDITOR'S CHOICE
China and US seek to strike conciliatory note - May-24US to press China on business - May-20China to hit US chicken with new tariffs - Apr-28Timeline: China-US trade spats - May-18Insight: Other states can fill gap between US and China - Apr-27Opinion: China revaluation will not cure imbalance - Apr-11He said China's extensive claims to islands and waters in the region were "generating increasing concern broadly across the region and require address".

The admiral's remarks follow complaints by Japan in recent weeks about aggressive behaviour from a Chinese coastguard vessel in contested waters and a Chinese military helicopter in international waters.

Some of China's neighbours have been watching the People's Liberation Army's modernisation and efforts at expanding the navy's reach with unease, and defence experts see this expansion as one factor behind a developing arms race in south-east Asia.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a97c53a-681a-11df-a52f-00144feab49a.html