Defense Secretary Austin says that the U.S. isn’t going to stand for bully and coercion from China

The Dialogue between the U.S. and China: A Tribute to the China/US Warfare Rejection Inspiral

The Dialogue, which starts Friday, has been overshadowed by China’s refusal to let its defense minister meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the forum. But both countries are still leading large delegations to the summit, which gathers diplomats, academics, defense contractors, journalists, and analysts from around the Pacific region.

The People’s Republic of China declined the invitation to join the U.S. military in May, the Pentagon said this week.

The U.S. sanctioned China’s defense minister after learning he was buying weapons from a Russian institution. China has indicated it will not agree to a meeting unless those sanctions are first lifted.

Hopes of a solution to the differences between the two superpowers have been dashed because of the refusal. Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, were able to meet in Vienna last month. That meeting was quickly followed by talks between the two country’s commerce chiefs.

It was unfortunate that China did not accept the American invitation for their chiefs to meet, Austin told his Japanese counterpart. He pointed to an incident late last month, in which a Chinese fighter jet allegedly buzzed an American aircraft flying over the South China Sea by cutting in front of it at close range, as reason for talks.

Southeast Asian perspectives on the U.S.-China security summit and the US-China trade pact, the Indonesian government and the Philippines

“We would hope that they would alter their actions. Austin said that he was worried about an incident that could quickly spiral out of control.

Meanwhile, representatives from the U.S. and Taiwan signed a trade agreement on the eve of the security summit and over protests from China, which claims the island as part of Chinese territory. Workers of unofficial entities that maintain relations between the United States and the island democracy signed the pact.

The importance of deepen cooperation between Japan and the US has been confirmed by Austin, who was in Japan this week. Austin is on his seventh Asia Pacific tour.

Southeast Asian countries have not tried to tilt in favor of either China or the US, and they have participated in many military drills with both countries. As the U.S. strengthens defense relations with Indonesia and the Philippines, China is worried.

More than 25% of the summit’s delegates come from Southeast Asian countries, which makes the dialogue a great chance to work on foreign policy and engineer informal talks between officials.

In Thailand, a surprise win by the opposition party during recent national elections could lead to an opening on a more aggressive foreign policy approach to supporting opposition forces in Myanmar, where the military seized power in a coup in 2021.

Taiwan and its dominance in semiconductor manufacturing – a critical tech sector at the heart of the U.S.-China rivalry – is also an issue of concern for Southeast Asia. Some US and Taiwanese firms are looking to move their manufacturing operations out of China.

The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda despite being a hemisphere away. Most Southeast Asian countries have chosen to remain silent on Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian deputy defense chief, Volodymyr Hazarov, will speak at the Singapore summit on a panel with Andi Wladajanto, a politician from Indonesia, which has good relations with Moscow.

Security and Defense in the U.S. Beyond the One-China Policy: Reply to Jing’s remarks at a televised forum for China

But Jing accused the U.S. of hollowing out the one-China policy, accusing Washington of supporting Taiwanese separatists without citing any evidence, and reiterating Beijing’s claim that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s sovereign territory.”

He claimed that the AUKUS agreement, the Quad grouping with India, Japan and Australia, is an example of Washington holding onto alliances that are remnants of the Cold War.

SINGAPORE — American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China, while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer dialogue over conflict.

Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian had shown how dangerous the world would be if big countries could just invade their peaceful neighbors with no fear.

Austin said that conflict is neither imminent nor inevitable. Defense is strong today and it is our job to keep it that way. The Taiwan Strait is important to the whole world’s peace and stability.

Li, who became China’s defense minister in March, declined Austin’s invitation to talk on the sidelines of the conference, though the two did shake hands before sitting down at opposite sides of the same table together as the forum opened Friday.

The sanctions, which broadly prevent Li from doing business in the United States, do not prevent him from holding official talks, American defense officials have said.

In his opening speech at the forum for China, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a call to engage in regular, direct communications with China to help prevent any conflict.

“For responsible defense leaders, the right time to talk is anytime,” Austin said. Every time, is the right time to talk. And the right time to talk is now.”

He said the U.S. is also committed to deterring North Korea’s missile threat and China’s claims on Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that Beijing says is its territory, and said Washington has been stepping up defense planning, coordination and training with partner nations in the region.

Austin noted that the U.S. had provided millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the pandemic and is regularly involved in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance efforts in the region. He said it is working on many issues important to Asian-Pacific countries like climate change and illegal fishing.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/03/1179975236/defense-secretary-austin-us-china

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“We are dedicated to ensuring that all countries can fly, sail, and operate anywhere in the world,” he said. Every country, large or small, can conduct lawful maritime activities.

The US has been participating in anti-China activities, including sailing through the Taiwan Strait and flying over the South China Sea.

Speaking at the so-called Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders, Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.