United States:
Defense ministers of the United States, Australia and Japan agreed on Saturday to strengthen military cooperation in the face of China’s growing ambitions.
“We are deeply concerned about China’s increasingly aggressive and bullying behavior in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the region,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said as he welcomed his colleagues from Australia and Japan to US military headquarters. for the Pacific Ocean.
Excellent trilateral discussion on our efforts to deepen defense integration with my colleagues from ?? Australia and ?? Japan – Minister @RichardMarlesMP & Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu. Our three democracies have been working together for decades #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific. pic.twitter.com/cFjV8EJ68o
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) October 1, 2022
“Our interest is in maintaining the global rules-based order. But we see that order under pressure in the Indo-Pacific as well as China tries to shape the world around it in a way we haven’t seen before.” have seen,” said Australian minister Richard Marles.
The United States is conducting a diplomatic offensive to counter Chinese influence in the region.
On Thursday, Washington announced an $810 million aid package for Pacific countries where the United States plans to step up its diplomatic presence.
Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Japan and South Korea last week and said the United States would act without fear or hesitation throughout Asia, including the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and also claims the thin and busy water channel that separates the two.
Harris also traveled to Seoul and visited the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. Her visit was intended to demonstrate Washington’s commitment to defending South Korea against North Korea.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)