In Europe, U.S. defence secretary calls for greater effort to counter China, Russia

U.S. Secretary of Defence Mark Esper arrives for a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, August 7, 2019. REUTERS/Issei Kato

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, in his first major speech, on Friday called for a greater European focus on tackling what he called growing security and economic threats from China and Russia.

Last year, the U.S. military put countering China and Russia at the centre of a new national defence strategy, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focussing on the fight against Islamist militants.