Exclusive | US-China competition in Indo-Pacific a ‘marathon, not a sprint’, acting assistant secretary of defence says
- Head of Washington’s regional strategy David Helvey calls on ‘like-minded partners’ to defend international order
- Conflict ‘not inevitable’ but countries cannot sit ‘idly by’ while Beijing bends and disregards rules
Washington needs long-term strategies and “like-minded partners” to compete with Beijing in a “marathon” race to lead the international order, according to a senior US defence official.
David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said the Chinese Communist Party’s challenge to the international rules-based order would be a marathon, not a sprint, in an exclusive opinion article for the South China Morning Post to be published on Saturday.
“Together, we must be resilient as we face this long-term challenge by continuing to uphold and represent core principles such as respect of sovereignty, transparency, peaceful resolution of disputes, and freedom of navigation and overflight.”
While “China’s rise does not mean conflict is inevitable, nor does competition inevitably lead to conflict”, the international community cannot “sit idly by as China’s authoritarian leaders continue to bend, disregard, or rewrite the rules to impose … their preferences”, Helvey said.
“That is why now, more than ever, like-minded partners must take action by being prepared, networked, and resilient so that together we can secure peace and prosperity for decades to come,” he said.