Pentagon Chief Slams China While Vowing Deeper Role in Asia
(Bloomberg) -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought to reassure the Asia-Pacific that the U.S. was committed to engagement in the region, while vowing to challenge what he called China’s aggression.
“We will not flinch when our interests are threatened,” Austin said in a speech Tuesday in Singapore. “Yet we do not seek confrontation.”
Austin’s remarks focused on U.S. ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the millions of vaccines that Washington has donated to the region. But he also stressed that the U.S. and its partners faced a common challenge in China.
The former U.S. Army general told the event hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies that Washington would work “with partners to deter coercion and aggression across the spectrum of conflict,” including Chinese maritime claims in regional waters and assertive military actions.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pentagon-chief-slams-china-while-vowing-deeper-role-in-asia/ar-AAMBaUh
