“Indo-Pacific countries should not face political intimidation, economic coercion or harassment by maritime militias,” Austin said in a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the main conference. of defense of Asia.
“PRC movements threaten to undermine security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin said, using the acronym to refer to the country by its official name, People’s Republic of China. .
He listed a number of areas where he said China is building its neighbors, such as sending a large number of warplanes to the skies near Taiwan, dangerously intercepting Allied patrol planes. Americans and illegal fishing operations that “plunder the region’s supplies.”
Taiwan played a key role in Austin’s speech, as it did during a bilateral meeting between Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Friday evening.
During the meeting, both sides accused the other of trying to change the decades-old status quo on the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Austin on Saturday denied any such action from Washington.
“We are determined to maintain the status quo that has served this region so well for so long,” he said. Under the “One China” policy, the United States acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially acknowledged Beijing’s claim to the 23-million-dollar democratic island.
But Austin said China worked differently.
“We have witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan. This includes EPL aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months, and almost daily,” he said. on Chinese warplanes flights to Taiwan. Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone.
For its part, China accused Washington on Friday of threatening the status quo on the island with things like arms sales, which Beijing says has “seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests.” “.
In his meeting with Austin, Wei reiterated China’s long-standing position that it was ready to go to war if Taiwan declared independence from the mainland.
Defense Minister Wei Fenghe stressed that if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will spare no effort to fight a war and break any attempt at “Taiwan independence” at any cost. , and decisively safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, “Wu said. Qian, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Defense, told a post-meeting press conference.
Austin said Saturday the U.S. does not want a war in the region.
“We are not looking for confrontations or conflicts. And we are not looking for a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region divided into hostile blocs,” he said.
But Austin said Washington was adamant about supporting its allies and partners.
And his accusations against China on Saturday went far beyond Taiwan.
“In the East China Sea, the expansion of the (China) fishing fleet is causing tensions with its neighbors. In the South China Sea, (China) is using advanced sites on artificial islands full of advanced weapons to advance their illegal maritime claims, “Austin said. dit.
“We are seeing (Chinese) ships looting supplies in the region, operating illegally in the territorial waters of other Indo-Pacific countries. And further west, we see Beijing continuing to tighten its position. along the border with which it shares. India “.
“Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow”
Earlier in his speech, Austin pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an example of the “inconvenience” it can inflict when nations move away from international law.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is what happens when the oppressors break the rules that protect us all,” he said. “This is what happens when the great powers decide that their imperial appetites are more important than the rights of their peaceful neighbors. And it is a foretaste of a possible world of chaos and unrest in which none of us would want to live.”
How a war on a distant continent may affect the security of the Pacific was also put at the forefront of the discussion Friday night by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a keynote address in Shangri-La.
“Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” Kishida said, adding that to ensure its security, Tokyo would substantially increase its defense budget.
“We will not rule out any options, including so-called ‘counter-attack capabilities,’ and we will realistically consider what is needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of our people,” he said.
Austin noted on Saturday the most important roles that Japan and other allies are playing in U.S. Pacific policies, listing a number of joint military exercises in which they have participated.
Another such partner is India, which along with Japan and Australia is a member of the Quad Informal Alliance.
“We’re also forging closer ties with other partners,” Austin said. “I am thinking especially of India, the world’s largest democracy. We believe that its growing military capability and technological prowess can be a stabilizing force in the region.”
In a key move to Oceania, where China was pushing for new economic and security agreements with small island states, Austin said Washington was making “unprecedented” investments by the U.S. Coast Guard.
This will include, for the first time, the permanent parking of a Coast Guard cutter in the region for the first time, he said.
Austin said the Biden administration was ready to take a step towards being the leader and guarantor of the free and open Indo-Pacific he advocates.
“Great powers carry great responsibilities,” Austin said. “And so we will do our part to manage these tensions responsibly, to prevent conflict and to seek peace and prosperity.”