Acting US Defense chief denounces China for technology theft

US interim defense secretary Patrick Shanahan on Saturday called Chinese attempts to steal technology from other nations and militarize the artificial outposts in the South China Sea as a “toolbox of coercion.”

The official said that Beijing should desist from the activities that the United States considers hostile.

In his first major speech on the international stage, Shanahan combined criticism of China and warnings about the “extraordinary” threat from North Korea with promises that the United States is willing to invest billions of dollars to guarantee the stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Without naming China at the beginning of the speech, he made it clear who he was pointing to with references to the Beijing campaign to install cutting-edge weapons systems on the disputed islands of the region.

“If the tendencies of these behaviors continue, the artificial constructions in the common resources could turn into toll collection booths. Sovereignty could become exclusive to the powerful, “Shanahan said.

His statements underscore the deterioration of US-China relations when the Donald Trump government waged a trade war with Beijing, sanctions tech giant Huawei and approves the sale of weapons to Taiwan, the autonomous island that the mainland communist country It claims as its own territory. And they reflect the new defense strategy of Washington, which considers competition with China and Russia as great powers a priority.

At the same time, with his speech Shanahan is presented to the world and to those who rule in Congress in Washington, since Trump has not submitted his postulation as permanent secretary.

In the audience, attentive and nervous, were the allies and partners of the United States in the region, fearful of the economic repercussions of the trade dispute and the consequences of the American complaints about the rapid Chinese advances in hypersonic weapons, nuclear technology and space flights.

Lieutenant General Shao Yuanming of the Chinese army said he welcomed the increased communication between China and the United States, but strongly objected to some of Shanahan’s statements about relations with Taiwan and Chinese maneuvers in the South China Sea. .

The Lieutenant General said his country has legal grounds to claim the sea, where Beijing has placed “dissuasive facilities” in response to the provocation of US military maneuvers in the region.