The United States will do its part to manage tensions with China and prevent conflict even though Beijing is becoming increasingly aggressive in the Asian region, including near Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday.
Relations between China and the United States have been tense in recent months, with the world’s two largest economies clashing over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.
At a meeting between Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Friday, both sides reiterated they want to better manage their relationship although there was no sign of any breakthrough in resolving differences.
Addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security gathering, Austin said the United States would continue to stand by its allies, including Taiwan.
“That’s especially important as the PRC (People’s Republic of China) adopts a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims,” he said.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own and has vowed to take it by force if necessary.
Austin said there had been an “alarming” increase in the number of unsafe and unprofessional encounters between Chinese planes and vessels with those of other countries.
A Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May and Canada’s military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitor North Korea sanction evasions.
Taiwan has complained for years of repeated Chinese air force missions into its air defence identification zone, which is not territorial airspace but a broader area it monitors for threats. Austin said these incursions had surged in recent months.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked the United States on Friday for its support and denounced China’s “absurd” claims of sovereignty.