US Defense Pushes Allied Effort to Challenge China

United States Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, said that Washington is counting on Asian partners to help rein in an increasingly aggressive China, as two of the US Navy’s most powerful warships conducted drills with allies in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

The US defense chief, delivering an online speech to the UK based International Institute of Strategic Studies, said that Washington was prepared to uphold its pledge to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, banking on a three-pillar strategy to do so: “preparedness, strengthening partnerships and promoting a more networked region.”

In May, The U.S government has notified Congress of a possible sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan worth around $180 million, further souring already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, which claims Taiwan as Chinese territory. Washington had sent the message earlier, by deploying the Nimitz and Reagan carrier strike groups to the region. It was the first time in six years that two US aircraft carriers had converged on the South China Sea.

the US abruptly demanded that China’s consulate general in Houston cease all operations and events. It is a political provocation unilaterally launched by the US side, which seriously violates international law, basic norms governing international relations and the bilateral consular agreement between China and the US. China strongly condemns such an outrageous and unjustified move which will sabotage China-US relations.

Foreign Minister spokesperson said “We urge the US to immediately withdraw its erroneous decision, otherwise China will make legitimate and necessary reactions.”

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Beijing felt the United States was reviving a “Cold War mentality” in its policy toward China, according to the report. It quoted Lavrov as saying that Russia opposed unilateralism in international affairs.

Source: Agencies

Y.A