China’s rise does not make it America’s competitor, Pentagon official says at Xiangshan Forum

‘Our approach to the Indo-Pacific is that it includes China’, Chad Sbragia, newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, says

But nations ‘can’t tell the UN you support its principles … then not adhere to them’, he says in thinly veiled swipe at Beijing

Reading Time:2 minutes

A rising power doesn’t inherently mean a contest, said Chad Sbragia, US deputy assistant defence secretary for China. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:10pm, 22 Oct 2019Updated: 12:25am, 23 Oct 2019

China’s military rise does not make it a competitor to the United States, and the door to America’s Indo-Pacific strategy remains open to Beijing, a Pentagon official said at a regional security forum in the Chinese capital.

“A rising power doesn’t mean inherently a contest,” said Chad Sbragia, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China – a newly created position within the US Defence Department.

“If the United States’ assumption was something different, you would see a different approach from us,” the retired Marine Corps officer and seasoned China expert said at the Xiangshan Forum, which ended on Tuesday.

Sbragia was the highest-ranking US official to attend the regional security event, which was hosted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and considered by Beijing as equivalent to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

The Xiangshan Forum wrapped up on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

The US Indo-Pacific strategy, which is widely perceived as a measure to contain China’s rise and counter its Belt and Road Initiative, was inclusive and open to Chinese participation, Sbragia said in a speech on Monday.