China is threatening the sovereignty of small Pacific Islands and undermining the region’s stability, a top U.S. military commander said on Thursday, in comments likely to inflame tension with China. Admiral Philip Davidson – commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – said the United States “was all in” to counter China in the Pacific, citing its “excessive territorial claims, debt trap diplomacy, violations of international agreements, theft of international property, military intimidation and outright corruption”. “The Communist Party of China seeks to control the flow of trade, finance, communications, politics and the way of life in the Indo-Pacific,” Davidson said in a speech in Sydney.
