Pentagon chief touts China talks and efforts to box Beijing in
SECRETARY of Defense Lloyd Austin told political and defence leaders in Singapore that US ties with China are improving, but spent the bulk of his speech talking about all the partnerships Washington is strengthening in the region as a hedge against Beijing.
Addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum on Saturday (Jan 1), Austin said the delegates had gathered during a “hinge of history,” as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza continue to rage and as actions in Asia “erode the status quo and threaten peace and stability” – a subtle dig at what the US says is Beijing’s aggressiveness around Taiwan and the Philippines.
He said that countries across Asia were converging around shared beliefs in “respect for sovereignty and international law, the free flow of commerce and ideas, freedom of the seas and skies,” as well as the resolution of disputes through “dialogue – not coercion or conflict and certainly not through so-called punishment.”
In a message likely to frustrate officials in Beijing, Austin recounted his many travels throughout Asia to bolster alliances, highlighted the increasingly large military exercises the US has held with nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and underscored the Biden administration’s work to bolster ties with Japan and South Korea.
US alliances and partnerships are America’s “greatest global strategic advantage,” he said.
Beijing has pushed back on the US footprint in the region, and has described its recent military exercises around Taiwan – which took place soon after the self-governing island’s new president was inaugurated – as “strong punishment” for “separatist acts.”
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Still, Austin largely refrained from criticising China by name and hailed improved military-to-military communication between the two nations, which aim to avoid “misunderstandings and miscalculations.”
Austin and his new Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, met for 75 minutes Friday on the sidelines of the conference in talks that both sides praised as frank and constructive.
He said that the Indo-Pacific would continue to be America’s “priority theater of operations” despite Washington’s recent preoccupation with conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Austin also emphasised that a string of actions aimed at bolstering regional deterrence against Beijing would continue. He cited efforts with Japan to develop weapons to counter hypersonic missiles, a push to co-produce military technologies with India, and expanded military exercises with nations such as the Philippines.
“We’re on the verge of even more powerful changes to our posture and presence in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin said.
Austin was clear that many of these actions will irk Beijing, even if he did not list the country by name.
“Critics and propagandists will still oppose the principles that drive the new convergence,” Austin said. “They will continue to reject the rule of law and they will try to impose their will through coercion and aggression.” BLOOMBERG
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