US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday criticised China for conducting dangerous aerial intercepts over the South China Sea and warned that Washington wouldn’t be deterred by harmful behaviour within the Indo-Pacific area.

China was conducting “an alarming variety of dangerous intercepts of US and allied plane flying lawfully in worldwide airspace”, Austin stated on the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

His remarks got here days after the Pentagon launched a video displaying a Chinese language fighter jet flying dangerously close to a US spy airplane.

“We don’t search battle or confrontation, however we won’t flinch within the face of bullying or coercion,” Austin stated.

The annual Asia safety discussion board hosted by the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research think-tank has regularly served as one of many few venues for US defence secretaries to fulfill their Chinese language counterparts. Nonetheless China this 12 months refused an invite from Austin for a gathering as a result of the US maintains sanctions on Chinese language defence minister Li Shangfu.

On Friday, Austin attended a dinner the place Li was current. The 2 males shook arms of their first interplay since Li, who’s talking on the discussion board on Sunday, turned defence minister in March.

In a speech that confused the US dedication to allies within the area, Austin not directly referred to as on China to have interaction with the Pentagon.

“For accountable defence leaders, the proper time to speak is any time, the proper time to speak is each time, and the proper time to speak is now. Dialogue just isn’t a reward. It’s a necessity,” stated Austin.

Requested if the Pentagon had made any progress in attempting to carry nuclear arms management talks with China, Austin responded: “You bought to speak to them first, in order quickly as they reply the cellphone, perhaps we’ll [talk].”

His feedback come because the US tries to kick-start top-level engagements with Chinese language officers in an effort to stabilise relations. China has refused to present a inexperienced gentle to a go to from secretary of state Antony Blinken, who cancelled a visit to Beijing in February over an alleged Chinese language spy balloon.

However the Monetary Instances reported on Friday that CIA director Invoice Burns made a secret journey to Beijing in Could and met Chinese language intelligence officers. Two individuals accustomed to the journey stated China invited Burns to go to.

In his speech, Austin stated Washington and its allies had made “super progress” in the direction of making certain peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific in what he intimated was a response to China.

“Increasingly, the nations of the Indo-Pacific have come collectively round a compelling imaginative and prescient of the longer term,” Austin stated. “It’s a imaginative and prescient of a area wherein all nations are free to thrive on their very own phrases — with out coercion, intimidation, or bullying.” 

In one other indirect reference to China amid issues about doable army motion in opposition to Taiwan, Austin stated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “introduced residence to individuals all over the place how harmful our world would turn into if large nations might simply invade their peaceable neighbours with impunity”.

He stated the US was “doubling down” on its alliances and “stepping up planning, co-ordination and coaching with our mates from the East China Sea to the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean”.

Requested by the Monetary Instances if the US was making progress creating joint operational battle plans with allies, significantly Japan and Australia, for a Taiwan contingency, Austin declined to touch upon specifics.

However he stated it was essential to extend interoperability between militaries and that whereas the Pentagon had achieved quite a bit, the progress to this point was “in no way the place any of us wish to be finally”.

A US official stated the US was crusing via the Taiwan Strait because the Shangri-La Dialogue was being held. China regularly objects to the US navy crusing ships via the waters separating Taiwan from mainland China.