US’s Pence says ‘no place for empire’ in Indo-Pacific

US Vice President Mike Pence says there is no place for “empire and aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region, in a remark apparently aimed at China.

Pence did not make a direct reference to China in his remarks at the opening of a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in Singapore on Thursday but stressed that small countries as well as large ones should have the opportunity to prosper in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Like you, we seek an Indo-Pacific in which all nations, large and small, can prosper and thrive — secure in our sovereignty, confident in our values, and growing stronger together. We all agree that empire and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific,” Pence said.

“Let me be clear, though: our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation. It only requires that nations treat their neighbors with respect, and respect the sovereignty of our nations and international rules and order,” he added.

Pence said Washington had taken steps to boost private investments and infrastructure across the region, aiming to strengthen the US’s economic relations with Southeast Asian countries based on “free, fair, and reciprocal trade.”

The US vice president also stressed Washington’s commitment to upholding the “freedom of the seas and skies” as part of the country’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

China and the US are at loggerheads over a number of issues, particularly the South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the whole of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The waters are believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.

Pence’s remarks in opposition to “empire” come as the US — an extra-regional power — directly engages in the South China Sea dispute — a regional matter — by actively taking the side of China’s rival claimants. The US also regularly sends warships and military aircraft to the sea to assert what it calls its right to “freedom of navigation” there. Beijing accuses Washington of interfering in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions by doing that.

SS