US will play 'pivotal' role in Asia

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has said the US will continue to play a "pivotal" role in Asia in the future.

Speaking to the BBC while visiting Vietnam yesterday, Carter said the US could ensure "peace and prosperity", the only way "everyone gets to rise and win".

He spoke amid new tensions over multi-nation claims in the South China Sea.

The US has accused China of creating land that could be used as airstrips in the Spratly Islands. Beijing denies it is asserting itself militarily.

Carter said the US was not looking to militarise the situation, but that "nothing" would stop its operations.

Earlier this month, China criticised Washington after a US spy plane flew over areas near the Spratly Islands.

"Nothing will stop US military operations at all," said Carter. "We will fly, we will sail, we will operate here in the Pacific as we always have."

He added: "We're not looking to militarise the situation or escalate the situation.

"We will continue to do what we have done for seven decades since World War Two ended - by being the pivotal military power in the region, which we are and will continue to be."

The US says China has added 2,000 acres in five areas of the Spratly Islands, and recently installed - then removed - artillery on the Spratlys.

Last week, China said it would focus on projecting its military presence beyond its borders at sea.

The defence planning document urges the Chinese navy to shift its focus to "open seas protection", rather than "offshore waters defence" alone.

In recent years, China has focused on building up its navy. It has launched an aircraft carrier and invested heavily in submarines and other warships.

On Sunday, China rebuffed some of Carter's criticism on China's land reclamation projects, which he had described as "out of step" with international rules.