Speaking to the BBC during a visit to Vietnam, Carter said the US would "continue to do what we have done for seven decades since World War II ended - by being the pivotal military power in the region, which we are and will continue to be," adding that "nothing will stop US military operations at all."

The statements come amid rising tensions between Washington over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The US accuses China of creating islands that could be used as airstrips in the Spratly Islands and has vowed to continue sending military aircraft and ships to the tense region to protect navigation right.

Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters. Beijing, however, rejects those demands, saying it is exercising its sovereignty and using the controversial outposts to fulfill international responsibilities.

In a DW interview, Ernest Bower, the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, talks about the US interests in the region, its stance on the dispute, and why it rejects a new area of Chinese dominance in Asia.

Bower: 'Washington believes that if China is allowed to bully its neighbors and define a new area of geopolitical dominance, it will destabilize Asia and the world'

DW: Defense Secretary Ashton Carter recently said the US will continue to play a "pivotal" role in Asia in the future. What does Carter mean by this?

Ernest Z. Bower: Secretary Carter is signaling that the United States is politically, financially and strategically committed and able to sustain its role as an Asia Pacific nation. Further, Carter has been clear that he understands that economics is core to a sustainable peace in Asia.

He said last month that "TPP is more important to me than another aircraft carrier." Carter means that for the US, the most important region in the world in terms of new economic growth and dynamic security balancing will be in Asia.

Carter was also quoted as saying: "Nothing will stop US military operations at all. We will fly, we will sail, we will operate here in the Pacific as we always have." What is the US willing to do to ensure that it plays a pivotal role in the reagion should China maintain its current stance?

Carter is trying to signal US determination not to allow China to continue to impinge on the sovereign interests of its neighbors using force and actions that are outside of international law.

China perceives weakness in Washington's geopolitical determination and it thinks it has the remaining 20 months of President Obama's administration to push ahead and try to change the facts on the seas before a new US Administration takes control of the White House in 2017.

Carter is saying "hold on, you are misjudging US determination." So now both Beijing and Washington are trying at the same time to pursue diplomacy and strengthen ties at the same time each is testing other's tolerance for risk. This is a very dangerous time.

Why is the US getting involved in this dispute between China and neighboring Southeast Asian countries?

The US does not have any territorial or maritime claims in the South China Sea. There are six disputants - Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Runway China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Expansion Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Facilities This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea South Johnson Reef This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six surveillance towers are being constructed alongside four possible weapons towers.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea A naval base? Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval base. Taken on March 17, this image shows a chain of small land formations at the reef.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea From reef to island Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Troop garrison According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea A standardized process As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island with a concrete barrier to protect against erosion and storm surge, and begin construction.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea 'Historic rights' China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijing argues it is asserting its so-called "historic rights" to maritime resources in the area.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Territorial disputes The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea US concerns Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters, but Beijing rejects those demands.

Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea Ecological impact The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of coral reef systems is estimated to cause economic losses valued at $100 million annually. Author: Gabriel Domínguez



The US is interested because its treaty allies and partners are seeking help in convincing China, a large and proximate power in Asia, that it should not use its newly developing economic and military power to impose its will on its neighbors, and instead make and play by international rules with other countries across the Indo-Pacific.

The US also wants to ensure that the trade routes and lines of communication – the principle of freedom of navigation – are ensured in these critically important waters that carry nearly two-thirds of world trade and much of its energy resources to markets.

The US also wants to convince China early in its arrival on the world stage as a global power that it is in its interests to use the rule of law to pursue its interests. Washington believes that if China is allowed to bully its neighbors and define a new area of geopolitical dominance, it will destabilize Asia and the world.

How does the US view the China's actions and policy in the South China Sea?

The US understands that China has legitimate concerns about its claims in the South China Sea. It also knows that China feels it was distracted by its internal challenges for decades while its neighbors moved ahead with energy development in the South China Sea.

Therefore, it made a very large claim, the 9-dash line, in 2009, in part as a legal strategy to slow down its neighbors and as a way to push itself back into contention for control of the maritime domain out to the first and second island chains - in effect, declaring a new area of Chinese dominance in Asia.

The US believes if China was allowed to move in this direction, it would destabilize Asia initially and quickly the world. Asian neighbors are asking the United States to get more involved to help provide geopolitical ballast to China's push.

How could China and the US find common ground in this situation?

China and the US share an overwhelming set of common interests in Asia – maintaining peace, promoting economic development, managing climate change, providing for greater regional security. However, the two countries have different views of the means to those ends.

China wants to pursue a Sino-centric model for Asian economic integration and guaranteeing security. The problem is that no other Asian nation wants China to dominate them and play this role. They want balance and have been convinced in the years following the end of War World II, that the US does not have any sovereign or territorial ambitions in Asia. No one is sure about China on that account.

To which extent do you think China is willing to ease tensions?

China has a very clear long term strategy to establish dominant control of its near seas and play a dominant role in Asia by 2050. Therefore, we can expect that China may decide to ease tensions tactically, but patterns of behavior over the last decade suggest it is not likely to stop its push until it experiences real costs to the pursuit of its longer term objectives.

What is not clear is what those costs should be and how they will be implemented effectively. Given the size and momentum of China's rapid economic and military rise, it is likely this will need to be a coordinated effort by the rest of the world to ensure China that all want it to prosper economically, participate as a contributor of global public goods, and to be secure.

However, it needs to be convinced that the best way to play this influential role is by helping to design and implement the laws that will govern world commerce and security.

Ernest Z. Bower is senior adviser and Sumitro chair for Southeast Asia Studies at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).