China accuses US of seeking ‘Asia-Pacific Nato’

A top Chinese general has accused the US of trying to build an “Asia-Pacific version of Nato”, underlining tensions between Washington and Beijing one day after the two countries’ defence chiefs met for the first time since 2022 in an effort to improve military communications.

Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng denounced the US as the “source of chaos and tension” in the Indo-Pacific and said its regional strategy aimed to “create division, provoke confrontation and undermine stability”.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum after US defence secretary Lloyd Austin had outlined the ways the Biden administration was working with allies to boost deterrence in the region, Jing said Washington would end up “tying the region’s countries to the US war chariot”.

In his speech, Austin had said the US and its Indo-Pacific allies — including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea — were engineering a historic “convergence” of their defence interests by creating a “set of overlapping and complementary initiatives and institutions” to boost military co-operation, develop new capabilities and enhance security.

Responding to the speech, Jing, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department at the Central Military Commission of the People’s Liberation Army, said: “The true motive of the US is to converge small circles into a big circle, that is an Asian-Pacific version of Nato, to maintain the US-led hegemony”.

US officials have rejected the argument, which Beijing has made in recent years, and said American allies were investing in security because of China’s aggressive actions in the region.

“Countries here in the region believe it is in their national security interest to be working more with each other and more with the US,” said a senior US defence official. “Any notion that somehow this is puppeteering by the US or destabilising . . . is both insulting to countries here in the region, but also really ignores the underlying trends driving that behaviour now.”

Austin earlier told the security forum that the US was committed to the region’s security. “We’re all in. And we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

Pressed after his speech by a Chinese military officer about whether Washington was creating an Asian Nato, Austin rejected the suggestion.

“Like-minded countries with similar values and a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific are working together to achieve that vision . . . We will continue to do those kinds for things,” Austin said.

The exchange came the day after Austin met Dong Jun, who became China’s defence minister in December. The meeting was Austin’s first with a Chinese defence minister since late 2022.

Defence chiefs are trying to improve communications between the militaries following a commitment from Chinese President Xi Jinping when he met President Joe Biden in November.

While the two sides have made some progress, tensions remain high over everything from Taiwan to Chinese aggression towards the Philippines.

In his speech, Austin accused China of dangerously harassing the Philippines with aggressive acts around Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef where the Chinese coast guard vessels have used water cannons to try to block Manila’s resupply missions. “The harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous — plain and simple,” Austin said.

Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr told the forum on Friday that China was engaging in “illegal, coercive [and] aggressive” activity, and said any act that killed a Filipino citizen would be considered akin to “an act of war”.

In his response to Austin’s speech Jing also stepped up China’s harsh rhetoric on Taiwan’s new government, accusing President Lai Ching-te of “attempting to seek independence by seeking foreign support or by force and pushing Taiwan further towards an abyss of disaster”.

The PLA conducted two days of military exercises around the island last week which it called a “punishment” of Lai, who took office on May 20.

In a speech at the forum that was critical of Beijing, Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles said Chinese military actions around Taiwan “do not inspire confidence that China prioritises or is planning for a peaceful settlement”.

In a separate speech Indonesia’s defence minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto told stakeholders in south-east Asia to exercise restraint.

“We call upon the leaders of the great Chinese civilisation as well as the leaders of the US and its western allies to rise to the great responsibilities in their leadership role as global powers,” said Prabowo, who will take over as president in October.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Singapore on Saturday, where he is scheduled to hold meetings with Indo-Pacific defence officials including Austin on Sunday. 

A US defence official said Austin would “underscore US commitment to ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression” when he meets Zelenskyy and his defence minister Rustem Umerov.

Additional reporting by A. Anantha Lakshmi in Jakarta