The United States (U.S.) on Wednesday expressed fear as China declared support for Russia over the Ukraine border crisis. General Kenneth Wilsbach, Head of US Pacific Air Forces, on Wednesday raised alarm that China could see opportunity in the Ukraine crisis to ‘do something “provocative” in Asia as Western powers are focused on defusing tensions with Russia’.
General Wilsbach acknowledging that China has aligned with Russia in the Ukraine crisis, declared: “from the standpoint of will China see what’s happening in Europe and… try to do something here in the Indo-Pacific — absolutely yes, that’s a concern,” Wilsbach, in a media interaction on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow, maintained: “I do have my concerns that they would want to take advantage.
“It won’t be surprising if they tried something that may be provocative and see how the international community reacts.”
Wilsbach emphasised that when China declared support for Russia in the Ukraine crisis, he held talks with his staff and other “entities” in the region about its implications.
The U.S. and European Union members have been fretting since Russia deployed over 100,000 troops to Ukraine border, precipitating the phobia of invasion.
The U.S. military base in Hawaii at the command of Wilsbach, has responsibility to guarantee peace in the Pacific.
China had insisted on having ownership of key islands and lakes in the South China Sea.
It was indicated that the South Sea overlaps territorial waters of Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries, which include Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The U.S. and EU nations have been nursing the fear that the control of the sea by China would obstruct freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway.
China and the U.S. have been at loggerhead over the autonomy Taiwan. While the U.S. is pushing for the recognition of Taiwan as an independent state, China insists that Taiwan is its territory, describing it as an occupation of rebels who flee from China.
While the U.S. conducts joint military drills near the South Sea, China moves in fighter jets into the island’s air defence identification zone.
Wilsbach reiterated his fear that when China looks at crises, it considers whether “this is an opportunity for gain”.
Also, North Korea is also on the sideline watching the tension in Ukraine and the rile of the U.S.