China the Number One Challenge for the U.S. Military; We Will Continue to Insist on Ocean Security

On Sunday in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated, "Despite the challenges posed by China, the United States and regional allies will continue to insist on 'ensuring freedom of navigation' in the Indian and Pacific Oceans." According to Austin, "China and the Indian and Pacific Oceans" remain the number one challenge facing the region and the U.S. military. Austin emphasized that the U.S. will certainly continue to send its most modern and capable weapon systems to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Additionally, the Department of Defense has allocated over nine billion dollars to the Pacific deterrence strategy. Meanwhile, Lloyd Austin referred to the 'irresponsible behavior' of the Chinese military in the South China Sea, stating, "We have witnessed close intercepts and aggressive behavior in international waterways." Furthermore, Austin said, "I urge Chinese leadership to do the right thing and manage this kind of unsafe behavior, as incidents may occur that could spiral out of control." Chinese defense officials rejected an invitation to meet with Lloyd Austin due to the U.S. sanctioning of Li Shangfu, to which the U.S. Defense Secretary responded, "I am personally sanctioned in Russia, but if I want, I can negotiate with the Russian Defense Minister." Earlier, the Associated Press reported that a Chinese Navy destroyer suddenly positioned itself 137 meters in the path of a U.S. destroyer on Saturday, forcing the American ship to reduce its speed to 10 knots to avoid a collision. China claims it does not seek military conflict with the United States. The U.S. military released a video of the 'unsafe' passage of the Chinese destroyer in the Taiwan Strait.