Commentary
Aggressive statements from the Chinese regime are not new but have become more vocal since President Joe Biden took office.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s address on June 11 at the 19th annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore and the later meeting on June 13 between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi are notable for two reasons.
First, the messages sent between the United States and China are largely a dialogue of the deaf. Second, the Chinese regime is becoming increasingly belligerent and openly broadcasting its aggressive intentions.
In his remarks, Austin echoed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the same gathering when he called for “a free and open order based on the rule of law, not might.” Austin also noted that the policy of the United States on Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait has not changed, and it is Beijing that is forcing change and is increasingly coercive. Austin also warned of the Chinese regime’s increasingly unprofessional and aggressive interceptions of aircraft and ships in international airspace and waters….