UPDATE 1-Pentagon chief looking to visit China this year amid tensions

(Adds details, background)
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark
Esper said on Tuesday he hoped to visit China by the end of the
year to improve "crisis-communications" channels and address
other areas of mutual interest as he condemned China's maritime
activity in the South China Sea.
Earlier this month, the United States rejected China's claim
to offshore resources in much of the South China Sea, drawing
criticism from China which said the U.S. position raised tension
in the region, highlighting an increasingly testy relationship.
"Before the year is out, I hope to visit the PRC for the
first time as secretary in order to enhance cooperation on areas
of common interest, establish the systems necessary for crisis
communications and reinforce our intentions to openly compete in
the international system," Esper said, using an acronym for the
People's Republic of China.
It was unclear whether Esper's trip would be contingent upon
securing special travel waivers given the impact of the
coronavirus pandemic, which has strained already fraught
relations between the world's two largest economies.
International diplomatic and defense travel has been
severely curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has
added strain to U.S.-China relations.
The United States has long opposed China's expansive
territorial claims on the South China Sea and sent warships
regularly through the strategic waterway, but recent comments
reflect a harsher tone.
"We want to deter against coercive behavior," Esper said.
He said China had intensified its' "bad behavior" in the
past six months.
China has built bases atop atolls in the region but says its
intentions are peaceful.
The South China Sea is one of a growing number of
flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which includes
Beijing's increased pressure on Taiwan.
Esper said nobody in Taiwan believed China had any intention
of living up to its "one country, two systems" principle.
He said China had carried out simulated exercises to take
over a Taiwanese-controlled island, calling it a destabilizing
activity that increased the risk of miscalculation.
Esper did not directly answer a question on whether the
Pentagon was considering a reduction in U.S. forces in South
Korea amid stalled talks with Seoul about defense costs.
He said he had not given any orders to withdraw U.S. troops
from South Korea, but the Pentagon was looking at forces around
the world.