U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said a war or fight with China was neither "imminent" nor "unavoidable" when he spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence forum in Singapore on Saturday.

US defense chief hails security partnerships in Asia in face of Russia, China threats

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday hailed the arrival of a “new convergence” in the Indo-Pacific, as the United States fortifies strategic and security partnerships in the region amid rising threats from China and Russia.

“Today, we are witnessing a new convergence around nearly all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

“This new convergence is producing a stronger, more resilient, and more capable network of partnerships. And that is defining a new era of security in the Indo-Pacific.”

The new convergence is not “a single alliance or coalition,” but instead “a set of overlapping and complementary initiatives and institutions, propelled by both a shared vision and a shared sense of mutual obligation,” Austin said.

Looming large in that regional vision is a more assertive China, which Austin alluded to without mentioning it by name.

The convergence, he said, is not about “imposing one country’s will” or “bullying or coercion,” but common principles and beliefs including “the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue – not coercion or conflict. And certainly not through so-called punishment.”

The remark appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to China’s military drills around Taiwan last week, which Beijing said was a “strong punishment” for the self-ruled island’s “separatist acts.” The massive show of force came just days after Taiwan swore in its new democratically elected leader Lai Ching-te, who called on Beijing to cease its intimidation tactics.

Austin said the new convergence helped the US make “historic progress” in the past three years. “We’ve strengthened stability on the Korean Peninsula. We’ve supported the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. And we’ve stood up for the rule of law in the South China Sea,” he said.

Under President Joe Biden, the US has bolstered ties with allies and like-minded partners in the Asia-Pacific region to counter a rising China, which under leader Xi Jinping has become increasingly assertive and belligerent about its many maritime and territorial claims in the region – from Taiwan to the East and South China Seas.

That bolstering of US ties has infuriated Beijing, which accuses Washington of leading a campaign of “encirclement and suppression” of China.

Austin’s emphasis on a “new convergence” in Asia-Pacific appeared to have struck a raw nerve with the Chinese delegation in the audience.

In the Q&A session, a Chinese colonel asked Austin whether the US is planning to build a NATO-like alliance system in the Asia-Pacific region, and blamed NATO for the Ukraine war.

“The eastern border expansion of NATO has led to the Ukraine crisis. What implications do you think the straightening of the US alliances system in the Asia-Pacific will have on this region’s security and stability?” asked Cao Yanzhong, a senior colonel and researcher at the Institute of War Studies of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese military.

“I respectfully disagree with your point that the expansion of NATO caused the Ukraine crisis,” Austin replied, drawing a rare round of applause from the audience.

“The Ukraine crisis obviously was caused because (Russian President) Mr (Vladimir) Putin made a decision to unlawfully invade his neighbor.”

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The exchange came a day after Austin held his first face-to-face talks with China’s Minister of National Defense Adm. Dong Jun on the sidelines of the defense forum.

The rare talks between the US and Chinese defense chiefs touched on a host of fractious issues including Taiwan and China’s relationship with Russia, as well as frictions in the South China Sea.

On Saturday, Austin mentioned the meeting with Dong in his speech, saying they had a “frank discussion.”

“There is no substitute for direct military-to-military talks between senior leaders. And there’s no substitute for open lines of communication to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations,” he said, adding that he looked forward to more talks with China.

Austin also reiterated US commitment to its defense treaty with the Philippines, calling it “ironclad.”

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr on Friday denounced illegal, coercive and aggressive actions in the South China Sea at the opening of the defense forum, saying peace, stability and prosperity in the waters was being undermined by other actors, without naming China.

Austin also reaffirmed US commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, saying peace and stability across the region are crucial for the whole world.

“The United States can be secure only if Asia is secure. That’s why the United States has long maintained our presence in this region. And that’s why we continue to make the investments necessary to meet our commitments to our allies and partners,” he said.

Hours after Austin reaffirmed America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific, a Chinese military spokesman accused the United States of “creating division and provoking confrontation.”

“The US keeps creating chaos and has become the source of risks, as well as the destroyer to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Jing Jianfeng, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department at China’s Central Military Commission, told a group of reporters in Singapore.

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Zelenskiy arrives in Singapore for Shangri-La Dialogue

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue conference on Saturday, where he planned to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and discuss support for his embattled country in an address to delegates.

After arriving at the conference venue in a motorcade amid heavy security, Zelenskiy said in a statement on the social media platform X that he had come to gather support from the Asia-Pacific region for a peace summit planned for June 15-16 in Switzerland.

"Global security is impossible when the world's largest country disregards recognised borders, international law, and the U.N. Charter, resorts to hunger, darkness, and nuclear blackmail," the statement said, referring to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The statement said Zelenskiy planned to hold several meetings, including with Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, Austin, and Singaporean investors.

A U.S. official said Zelenskiy and Ukrainian Defence Minster Rustem Umerov would meet Austin "to discuss the current battlefield situation in Ukraine and to underscore the U.S. commitment to ensuring Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression".

The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), which organises the security conference, said Zelenskiy would participate in a discussion session on Sunday entitled "Re-Imagining Solutions for Global Peace and Regional Stability".

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Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Russia is trying to disrupt the Switzerland peace summit, which he hopes will generate support for the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine's 1991 borders.

Reuters first reported his planned trip to Singapore on Friday.

It is Zelenskiy's second trip to Asia since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In May 2023, he attended the G7 meetings in Japan.

Russia has begun renewed assaults against Ukrainian lines and has stepped up missile attacks in recent months. Russian troops have made small gains in Ukraine's east and south, even as Kyiv's allies accelerate shipments of ammunition and other arms.

Russia has not attended the Shangri-La Dialogue since the invasion.

The United States this year approved $61 billion of weapons for Ukraine, some of which - such as Patriot missiles and ATACMS precision ballistic missiles - have already arrived there.

On Thursday, U.S. officials said President Joe Biden had assured Ukraine it could use U.S. weapons to strike targets across the border in Russia that were being used to attack areas around Kharkiv, a city in Ukraine's northeast.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO members against allowing Ukraine to fire their weapons into Russia and on Tuesday once again raised the risk of nuclear war.

Sweden also approved a new security package this week worth about $1 billion that included armoured vehicles, and for the first time, airborne warning and control aircraft that can spot targets in the air at extreme distances.

Austin, who spoke earlier on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, noted in his remarks that the support for Ukrainian forces pushing back against Russia's invasion for more than two years showed that countries around the world could rally in the face of aggression.

The Shangri-La conference, held annually in Singapore by the International Institute of Strategic Studies for the last 21 years, ends on June 2.

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