SINGAPORE, June 4, 2023 (AFP): The Pentagon voiced concern on Sunday over the Chinese military's "increasingly risky and coercive activities" in Asia.
"We remain concerned about the PLA's increasingly risky and coercive activities in the region, including in recent days," said Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder, who is with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a security conference in Singapore.
Meanwhile, China's defence minister warned Sunday against establishing "NATO-like" military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying they would plunge the region into a "whirlpool" of conflict.
"In essence, attempts to push for NATO-like (alliances) in the Asia-Pacific is a way of kidnapping regional countries and exaggerating conflicts and confrontations, which will only plunge the Asia-Pacific into a whirlpool of disputes and conflicts," Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu told the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
"Today's Asia-Pacific needs open and inclusive cooperation, not buddying up into small cliques. We must not forget the severe disasters brought by the two world wars to peoples of all countries, and we must not allow such tragic history to repeat itself."
Li did not explicitly name any country but appeared to be referring to the United States, which has been shoring up alliances and partnerships in the region.
The United States is a member of the AUKUS alliance, which groups it with Australia and Britain.
Washington is also a member of the QUAD group, which includes Australia, India and Japan. - AFP
