MANILA, Philippines - United States Pacific Air Forces Commander Herbert Carlisle said China's behavior in the South China Sea has led to stronger ties between the US and its Asian allies which include the Philippines.
"Some of (China's) fairly assertive, aggressive behavior has in fact brought our friends and they're relying on us to be there and to be present," Carlisle said in reports from Washington on Monday.
The US has lately shifted its military and diplomatic focus on the Asia Pacific partly due to Beijing's claims, with Vice President Joe Biden saying that the "core" of such strategy are alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.
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"One of the main tenets of our strategy is to expand engagement and interoperability and integration … with our friends' and partners' militaries," Carlisle said.
Carlisle also weighed in on China's military buildup, saying it runs the risk of having unintended consequences sooner or later.
"Being fairly aggressive runs the risk of creating the potential for miscalculation," he said.
Carlisle warned that such aggression may result in an unprecedented response from the different countries that Beijing does not anticipate.
"It's a complex, changing environment. Every action has unintended consequences and second and third order effects," Carlisle said.
The American general also gave an overview of the Pacific Command's positioning in the region, saying that the Air Force's F-22 fighter jets are present there.
Unmanned spy aircrafts as well as a new F-35 fighter plane will be sent to the area where there is increasing tension.