US urged to counter Chinese aggression with strong military partnerships in Asia
- Former defence secretary believes US must continue to work with Asian allies
- Beijing seems to have concluded it is ‘China’s turn’ to dominate the region
Former US defence secretary Ash Carter has urged the United States to strengthen its military partnerships in Asia to counter what he described as China’s isolationist and confrontational approach in the region and around the world.
“In the Taiwan Strait, on the Korean peninsula, in cyberspace, in global trade – at nearly every turn, China’s leaders have chosen isolation over integration and confrontation over inclusion,” Carter wrote in a report by the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School. Carter is a director of the centre.
“We must continue to invest in the innovative systems and ideas required to counter China’s military capabilities. We must have the quality and quantity of forces necessary to prevent Chinese aggression if we can, and counter it if we must,” he wrote in the report which looks at America’s strategy in Asia.
“We must also continue to build stronger military partnerships in the region, with established allies such as Japan, South Korea and Australia as well as newer partners such as Vietnam and India.”
If the US stepped back, Carter said, China would seek to replace the US-led network with its own initiatives, such as the belt and road strategy and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as part of its efforts to extend political influence in the region.