US defence chief denies seeking to split Asia ‘into hostile blocks’ during Thailand trip
- US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made the remarks during a visit to Thailand, where he met PM Prayuth Chan-ocha for the second time in as many months
- Austin also said his recent talk with General Wei Fenghe, his Chinese counterpart, was ‘an important step in our efforts to develop open lines of communication’
Austin met Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the country’s defence minister, and the two discussed “shared perspectives on regional security issues”, “opportunities to strengthen the US-Thai alliance” and increased interoperability between their militaries, according to a US Defence Department statement.
Thailand and the United States are long-time military allies, despite a cooling of relations after the 2014 military coup that brought former army commander Prayuth to power. Monday’s visit was Austin’s first to Thailand as defence secretary. The two men also met in Washington last month.
Other topics of discussion during Monday’s meeting included the two countries’ “emerging cooperation in new domains such as space and cyberspace”, Austin said at a briefing in Bangkok.
Thai media had reported that Prayuth would likely discuss arms procurement with Austin, including of F-35 fighter aircraft, but the US defence chief did not comment specifically on that in remarks to the media.
Tensions between the US and China have been growing in part over Beijing’s claims to Taiwan and much of the South China Sea, and its increasing power and influence in the region.