Global Courant
NEW DELHI – Military leaders and senior officers from 30 countries, including the United States, met in India on Tuesday to discuss the threats facing the Asia-Pacific region in light of concerns about an increasingly assertive China.
US military chief Randy George said the region was “critically important” as he spoke to reporters along with his Indian counterpart Manoj Pande.
General George pledged to promote cooperation to “maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Generals from Japan and Australia, who form the ‘Quad’ forum for defense cooperation alongside Washington and New Delhi, also took part, as did Britain and France.
At the generals’ meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would oppose the “deliberate expansion of military alliances,” the latest in a series of warnings as Washington deepens security ties in the Asia-Pacific.
Beijing has long said that any attempt to create a NATO-style military alliance in the Asia-Pacific would provoke conflict.
Vietnam and the Philippines were present at the two-day conference in New Delhi.
Both countries have long-standing territorial disputes with China.
The conference, which started in 1999, brings together military leaders and top officers from 30 countries.
Indian General Pande said the region faces challenges both on land and at sea.
“These range from territorial disputes over land masses, or in some cases even over artificially expanded islands to acquire real estate and establish military bases,” General Pande added, in an indirect reference to China.
India has also had to balance its traditional alliance with Russia – the supplier of most of its arms imports, and now a source of cheap oil – with growing ties with Washington.
“The partnership between India and the US militaries is vital to stability in the region, and the relationship between our militaries is strong and growing stronger,” General George said. AFP
