Beijing/Washington D.C./Moscow: Lashing out at the USA’s plans to expand military bases in Guam and Australia to beef up defenses against China, Beijing claimed the move “fully exposes the true intention of the US to militarize the Indo-Pacific and go all out to encircle and contain China”.
Earlier Mara Karlin, performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, announced in Washington today that the US President Joe Biden had accepted the recommendations formed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the global posture review.
“It is no surprise that the Indo-Pacific is the priority region for the review, given the secretary’s focus on China as America’s pacing challenge. The review directs additional cooperation with allies and partners to advance initiatives that contribute to regional stability and deter Chinese military aggression and threats from North Korea,” Karlin said in Washington.
These initiatives include seeking greater regional access for military partnership activities, enhancing infrastructure in Guam and Australia and prioritizing military construction across the Pacific Islands. They also include new U.S. rotational aircraft deployments and logistics cooperation in Australia, which DOD announced in September.
The review also approved the stationing of a previously rotational attack helicopter squadron and an artillery division headquarters in the Republic of Korea.
“More initiatives are forthcoming in the region, but these require more discussions among the allies and remain classified,” Karlin said.
China, meanwhile, “firmly” opposed the US side’s attempt to justify its moves to increase military expenditure, expand military build-up and maintain military hegemony with the “China threat theory”.
“The US side should abandon the Cold-War mentality of creating imaginary enemies and stop words and deeds that threaten international peace and security,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.
China claimed the development of its national defense forces is entirely out of the need to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests and maintain international and regional peace and security. “This is fundamentally different from the US’ flagrant sabre-rattling around the world, hegemonic and bullying practices and disruption in regional peace and stability,” Lijian said.
Meanwhile, Pentagon’s Global Posture Review also looks looks to strengthen the U.S. combat deterrent against Russia in Europe, and enable NATO forces to operate more effectively. The review identified additional capabilities that will enhance U.S. deterrence posture in Europe, and these will be discussed with allies in the near future, Karlin said.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s warnings regarding NATO’s eastward expansion have been totally ignored.
“There have been several waves of expansion, and let’s look at where the military infrastructure of the NATO bloc is now – anti-missile defence systems have been deployed right next to our borders in Romania and Poland. These can easily be put to offensive use with the Mk-41 launchers there; replacing the software takes only minutes. Nevertheless, our recent warnings have had a certain effect: tensions have arisen there anyway,” Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Foreign Ministry Board today.
He also directed his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov “to push for serious long-term guarantees that ensure Russia’s security in this area, because Russia cannot constantly be thinking about what could happen there tomorrow.”
– global bihari bureau
