defense ministers of EU, of Australia and of Japan pledged Saturday in Honolulu to strengthen their military cooperation in the face of the ambitions of China in the region that seeks to “change the status quo by force”.
“We are very concerned regarding China’s more and more aggressive behavior and intimidation in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the region,” said Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, welcoming his Australian and Japanese counterparts to the headquarters of the United States military command in the region.
“Our interests depend on respect for the international order, but we see this order challenged (…) by China that seeks to shape the world around it as we have never seen it,” said Australian Richard Marles.
Asian tension
Denouncing “China’s forcible and unilateral changes to the status quo in the South and East China Sea“, as well as the recent ballistic tests by North Korea, the Japanese Yasukazu Hamada wants to “discuss what we can do (…) to strengthen our deterrence and reaction capabilities in the region”.
For its part, the United States launched a diplomatic offensive in all directions to try to counter China’s influence in this strategic area.
In this sense, he announced on Thursday a new fund of 810 million dollars in aid for the islands of the South Pacific, where the United States wants to increase its diplomatic presence.
US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Japan and South Korea last week to reaffirm Washington’s determination to act “without fear or hesitation” in Asia, including Taiwan.
(AFP)