For fear of China's possible imposition of full military control in the entire South China Sea, Asian countries are seeking military help from the United States to protect their interests in the region, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said Friday.

Carter's statement comes on the heels of an impending trip to Southeast Asian countries including India and the Philippines.

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"Almost all the nations there are asking us to do more with them... bilaterally and multilaterally," Carter said at a forum in New York.

Military ties

China's neighbors and claimant countries in the disputed South China Sea are seeking to strengthen military ties with the US in the wake of China's continuous expansion activities in disputed waters.

"Indeed, in the South China Sea, China's actions are raising regional tensions," said Carter.

White House officials said Carter's visit to the region will focus primarily on China's influence across Southeast Asia and its expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea.

Paracels Islands

Reports said amid China's militarization of the South China Sea region, the Pentagon aims to strengthen its relationship with India and the Philippines

China has reportedly expanded its military in the region by placing new equipment and weapons in one of its claimed islands.

It has also deployed surface-to-air missiles and radar systems in Woody Island which is part of the Paracels Group of Islands, an area both claimed by China and Vietnam. 

Rules and principles

"Countries across the Asia-Pacific are voicing concerns with militarization, and especially with China's actions, which stand out in size and scope," Carter said.

Carter pointed out that the affected countries have been reaching out to the US again to uphold the rules and principles in the disputed South China Sea "that have allowed the region to thrive."

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea which is believed to have huge deposits of gas and oil. Around $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through the international waterway every year.

Carter has echoed the US policy of taking a diplomatic track in resolving the issue and easing the tensions among the claimants in the region.

TagsPentagon chief Ashton Carter, South China Sea, china, Southeast Asian countries, expansion activities, regional tensions, Paracels islands