Lloyd Austin’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue

On June 11, 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La summit in Singapore put emphasis on the expansion of alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region to counter the regional challenges, having China in mind.
The main thesis of his report was the Indo-Pacific region as the priority of US foreign policy. Among the achievements of the current American administration Austin named the development of cooperation within QUAD, creation of AUKUS, strengthening of strategic coordination with Japan and South Korea and deepening of relations with countries in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.
The network of American alliances and partnerships is characterized as a guarantee of regional stability. The Pentagon’s head underscored that conception of integrated deterrence is making the base for allied partnership with Australia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Thailand. Also, he noticed that defense cooperation with Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam goes to a new level.
Austin also supported the more active integration of European countries into affairs of the Asia-Pacific. According to him this is important to widen the dialogue between the members of the North Atlantic Treaty and Asian countries. The same time Secretary of Defense tried to convince the partners that US Administration is not looking for a confrontation or creation of Asian alliance like NATO.
Among the promising sectors of work with allies the head of Pentagon marked the strengthening of military potential of the regional states by joint research and development work, supply chains integration and industrial potential. He also paid attention to the importance of increasing of military exercises in the Asia-Pacific region and to maintenance of multibranch mechanism of cooperation like AUKUS, cooperation between USA, Australia and Japan, the White House initiative to increase awareness about the situation in ocean of the Indo-Pacific, which implies the active cooperation of QUAD, ASEAN and countries in the Southern part of the Pacific Ocean to fight the illegal fishing.
Austin paid a special attention to the anti-Chinese subject-matter. According to him Beijing is committing more aggressive policy in the region, increasing tensions in the East China Sea and South China Sea, makes illegal activities in the territorial waters of other regional countries and provokes confrontation with India.
The other important topic was a Taiwanese issue. Austin said the stakes are high and pointed at fact that supporting peace and stability in the Taiwanese Straight is a matter of international concern. He noticed the growing destabilizing activity of People’s Liberation Army. And he assured that US Administration is against one-way attempts to change the status-quo and ready to continue any assistance to enforce the defense potential of the island.
Many noticed the openly anti-Chinese rhetoric and tough posture on Taiwan and situation on the border between China and India.
On a large scale the speech of US Secretary of Defense once again proved the intensions of US Administration to improve the net of pro-American alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, mobilization of allies under the slogan of promoting the world order based on rules and creation a zone of instability around China.