Austin says US 'can be secure only if Asia is'

SINGAPORE — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday the Asia-Pacific region remained a "priority" for Washington, saying the United States was secure "only if Asia is".

Lloyd made the remarks at a major security forum in Singapore, a day after he met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.

"The United States can be secure only if Asia is and that's why the United States has long maintained its presence in this region," Austin told the Shangri-La Dialogue, which in recent years has become a barometer for US-China relations.

Despite the historic conflicts taking place in Europe and the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific "remained our priority theater of operations", Austin said.

The United States is seeking to strengthen alliances and partnerships in the region, particularly with the Philippines, as it seeks to counter China's growing military might and influence.

As it deepens defence ties, it has also ramped up joint military exercises while regularly deploying warships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea — infuriating China's leaders.

Beijing views this as part of a decades-long US effort to contain it.

This year's Shangri-La Dialogue comes a week after China held military drills around self-ruled Taiwan and warned of war over the US-backed island following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, who Beijing has described as a "dangerous separatist".

Austin met with Dong on Friday for the first substantive face-to-face talks between the two countries' defence chiefs in 18 months, offering hopes for further military dialogue that could help prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

Austin said the United States and China would resume military-to-military communications "in the coming months", while Beijing hailed the "stabilising" security relations between the countries.

But in his speech on Saturday, Austin appeared to take shots at China, saying there was a "new era of security in the Indo-Pacific" that was not "about imposing one country's will" or "bullying or coercion".

"This new convergence is about coming together and not splitting apart," Austin said. "It's about the free choices of sovereign states."

The Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, is a key focus of Washington's efforts in the region.

Given its position in the South China Sea and proximity to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, Philippine support would be crucial for the United States in the event of any conflict.

Austin insisted Saturday that the US commitment to defend the Philippines under their mutual defence treaty remained "ironclad", as repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea have stoked fears of a wider conflict.