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SINGAPORE—Vice President Mike Pence hit out at China during his tour through Asia, signaling an increasingly tough line against Beijing as the world’s two largest economies clash over trade, security and human rights.
In a speech Thursday at a summit of Asian nations, Mr. Pence warned that “empire and aggression have no place in the Indo-Pacific.” He didn’t mention any country by name, but White House aides left little doubt the reference was to China. The U.S., Mr. Pence said, “seeks collaboration, not control.”
Mr. Pence, who is emerging as the Trump administration’s most hawkish voice on China, is spending nearly a week in Asia at summits and assuring smaller nations that the U.S. remains a reliable bulwark against China’s military moves and economic influence.
The meetings in Singapore, held under the umbrella of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, reflect competing visions by the U.S. and China, which smaller countries increasingly fear will force them to choose between major powers key to their trade and security.
A senior administration official said at a media briefing that Mr. Pence will detail the administration’s strategy at his next stop, in Papua New Guinea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The U.S. strategy, which calls for “a free and open Indo-Pacific” is seen by many analysts as an alternative vision to China’s Belt-and-Road agenda, an effort by Beijing to build much-needed infrastructure in fast developing Asian nations. Mr. Pence said last month that China is using the full breadth of its government to advance the country’s interests.
The U.S. is eager to ensure free navigation in international waters stretching from the Sea of Japan to the Indian Ocean, which converge in the South China Sea, a key trade passage where China has reinforced disputed claims by building artificial islands and equipping them with military weapons.
A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry at a media briefing in Beijing took issue with Mr. Pence’s remarks. She questioned whether Mr. Pence spoke for the U.S. government or was “expressing his own point of view,” and she suggested that Washington should proceed cautiously with Beijing.
“Bilateral relations between China and the U.S. are at a crucial moment, and it calls for us to make the right choice and make concrete efforts to ensure the sound and steady development of China-U.S. relations in the right direction,” said the spokeswoman, Hua Chunying. “I hope the U.S. will stop beautifying itself and pointing the finger at others.”
Mr. Pence spoke briefly Thursday to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a group photo. Mr. Pence told reporters he had no plans to formally meet any Chinese officials during the trip, and his staff said that Chinese officials haven’t sought a meeting.
Mr. Pence was asked about a congressional report that shows China has eased sanctions enforcement aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. China is doing more than previously, he said, but added that Mr. Trump will likely raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a coming summit in Buenos Aires.
“We expect all of our allies and partners in this effort to fully enforce all U.N. Security Council resolutions—and that includes China,” Mr. Pence said.
Fears of the growing U.S.-China rivalry overshadowed the meetings in Singapore, with some warning that competition between the world’s top economic powers is threatening discord and division among the smaller nations of Southeast Asia.
“Major power rivalry is on the rise, manifesting itself in competing visions for the regional architecture and in a growing trade war,” Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the host of the meetings, said Thursday. “The circumstances may come where Asean may have to choose one or the other. I hope it does not happen soon.”
Some countries, like Malaysia, have complained that Chinese investment saddles smaller nations with crippling debt. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned of a “new colonialism” by major powers, including the U.S., marked by a global rise in trade protection and resurgent nationalism.
Others are divided on China’s presence in the South China Sea. “China is there, that’s a reality,” said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has distanced Manila from traditional ally Washington in favor of building closer ties with Beijing. “And America and everybody should realize that they are there.”
—Ben Otto in Singapore and Jeremy Page in Beijing contributed to this article.
Write to Peter Nicholas at [email protected] and Jake Maxwell Watts at [email protected]
