Honolulu: The defense ministers of the United States, Australia and Japan agreed on Sunday to boost military cooperation in the face of China’s growing ambitions "to shape the world around it". Washington is pressing a diplomatic offensive to counter Chinese influence across the Asia-Pacific.
"We are deeply concerned by China’s increasingly aggressive and bullying behavior in the Taiwan Strait, and elsewhere in the region," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said as he welcomed his counterparts from Australia and Japan to the US military headquarters for the Pacific region in Hawaii.
"Our interest lies in the upholding of the global rules-based order. But we see that order under pressure in the Indo-Pacific as well, as China is seeking to shape the world around it in a way that we’ve not seen before," said Richard Marles, the Australian defense minister.
On Thursday, Washington announced an $810 million aid package for Pacific Island nations where the United States plans to intensify its diplomatic presence. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled last week to Japan and South Korea and said the United States would act without fear or hesitation throughout Asia, including the Taiwan Strait.
