US defense chief hails security partnerships in Asia in face of Russia, China threats

Singapore CNN —

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday hailed the arrival of a “new convergence” in the Indo-Pacific, as the United States fortifies strategic and security partnerships in the region amid rising threats from China and Russia.

“Today, we are witnessing a new convergence around nearly all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

“This new convergence is producing a stronger, more resilient, and more capable network of partnerships. And that is defining a new era of security in the Indo-Pacific.”

The new convergence is not “a single alliance or coalition,” but instead “a set of overlapping and complementary initiatives and institutions, propelled by both a shared vision and a shared sense of mutual obligation” Austin said.

Looming large in that regional vision is a more assertive China, which Austin alluded to without mentioning it by name.

The convergence, he said, is not about “imposing one country’s will” or “bullying or coercion,” but common principles and beliefs including “the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue – not coercion or conflict. And certainly not through so-called punishment.”

The remark appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to China’smilitary drills around Taiwan last week, which Beijing said was a “strong punishment” for the self-ruled island’s “separatist acts.” The massive show of force came just days after Taiwan swore in its new democratically elected leader, Lai Ching-te, who called on Beijing tocease its intimidation tactics.

Austin said the new convergence helped the US make “historic progress” in the past three years. “We’ve strengthened stability on the Korean Peninsula. We’ve