MANILA, Philippines — A top Republican official scored the Obama administration's seemingly weak "rebalancing" to Asia Pacific and feeble intervention in the world stage in failing to assure allies amid escalating sea disputes.
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who is seeking to become the party's top bet for president in 2016, said that America's regional allies including the Philippines are "anxious" while the US is "not reassuring them" as China continues to "disrupt international order" and swiftly grows its military.
"[US allies] are calling for help, and nobody's picking up the phone," Ryan said in a speech in Washington last week. "That's the issue. Our friends think we're adrift, and our rivals think we're sinking. Our credibility is at risk, and with it our security."
In his recent visit to the Philippines, US President Barack Obama said that the US' commitment to the Philippines under a longstanding defense treaty is "iron clad."
Obama's words, however, were still found ambiguous and lacking clear guarantees for the Philippines as it is embroiled in a maritime dispute with China over areas of the South China Sea.
Ryan said that the US, in its pursuit to become a leader in Asia Pacific, should decisively stand for freedom, justice and the rule of law through concrete actions, such as in building up its forces in the western Pacific parallel to China's.
"We supposedly made a 'pivot' to Asia, but we didn't leave much of a footprint. The numbers speak for themselves: Just under 3,000 Marines are on rotation in Australia. Just four littoral combat ships are to be based in Singapore. With numbers like these, our allies wonder, if they’re in a pinch, will America be there?" Ryan said.
He urged Washington and foreign policy players to help China's neighbors in the region to stand up on their own against the rising Asian power.
"But if we pull them together, we can hold China accountable. And the hope, ultimately, is to pull China in too," Ryan said in a testament to the US' balancing act of seeking more engagement with China while helping its rival claimants boost defense capabilities.
The senator also criticized China for trying to "rewrite" the rules, citing recent Chinese hacking incidents targeting US companies and its alleged promotion of crony capitalism.
"In a narrow-minded pursuit of its narrow self-interest, China isn’t trying to uphold market principles but to upend them," Ryan said.
He also picked apart Obama's wanting "moral outage" in lecturing Russia against its invasion of Ukraine.
"The best [that Obama] could summon up was 'deeply destabilizing.' Well, foreign policy isn't just a matter of norms. It is also a matter of right and wrong," Ryan said.
"A leader has to propose and explain and defend a course of action—not just ask for a show of hands. And then—once you make a decision—you have to follow through," he continued.