Pentagon chief says war with China neither imminent nor unavoidable

SINGAPORE—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that a war with China is neither imminent nor unavoidable, striking a nonconfrontational tone a day after his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

Speaking at a security summit in Singapore on Saturday, Austin signaled that the Biden administration is seeking to cool tensions with China, despite an increase in friction following military activities by both countries around Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.

“Our goal is to make sure that we don’t allow things to spiral out of control unnecessarily," Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual gathering of defense officials organized by the London-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“A fight with China is neither imminent, in my view, or unavoidable," he said.

The speech followed a 75-minute meeting Austin held Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun. The pair reaffirmed plans to reopen direct lines of communication, part of efforts to reduce U.S.-China friction and preserve a delicate rapprochement between the two powers.

A U.S. official said it was “clear and candid," while a spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry described the talks as “positive."

At the same time, in his Saturday speech, Austin emphasized continued support for U.S. allies and partners who are more and more concerned by increased Chinese military activity in the Indo-Pacific—a statement that drew a rebuke from a top Chinese official Saturday.

The defense secretary said that, even as the U.S. devotes considerable effort to conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Asia remains America’s “priority theater of operations."

Austin detailed Washington’s efforts to better integrate the militaries and defense industries of “like-minded" nations committed to a “a free and open Indo-Pacific." The U.S., South Korea and Japan have deepened security relations to counter rising threats from China and North Korea.

Tensions have risen recently as both China and the U.S. object to each other’s military activities around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. China claims most of the sea as its own, including areas claimed by several other countries such as the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally.

Chinese vessels have become increasingly aggressive in disrupting missions to supply a detachment of marines the Philippines keeps stationed on a disputed reef called Second Thomas Shoal. The U.S. has repeatedly warned that an “armed attack" on Philippine vessels would invoke their mutual defense pact.

“The harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous—pure and simple," Austin said Saturday. “And we all share an interest in ensuring that the South China Sea remains open and free."

China has steadily pressed its claims in the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes each year. It has built fortified artificial islands in part aimed at denying the U.S. Navy freedom of navigation in the area.

Austin outlined Saturday what he called “historic progress" made over the past three years with allies and partners across the Asia Pacific.

He noted advances in ventures to co-produce jet-fighter engines and armored vehicles with India, and major expansions of joint military exercises with the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. The U.S. is also working with Japan to counter threats from hypersonic weapons.

Without naming China, Austin said critics will invariably oppose these efforts. “They will continue to reject the rule of law, and they will try to impose their will through coercion and aggression," he said.

A senior Chinese delegate at the Shangri-La Dialogue issued a stern response to Austin’s remarks.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy claims to promote cooperation but in reality builds exclusive clubs that sow divisions, Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of the Chinese military’s Joint Staff Department, told reporters. “The true motive is to converge various small circles into a big circle that is an Asia-Pacific version of NATO, to maintain American hegemony."

“The U.S. strengthens its military presence to force other countries to choose sides and advances the eastward expansion of NATO," Jing said, adding that these maneuvers create chaos and “bind regional countries with the American war chariot."

Jing accused Austin of implicitly criticizing “China’s legitimate operations to protect our rights" around Second Thomas Shoal. He said Austin’s remarks were “completely unreasonable," adding that the Philippines and the U.S. were colluding to provoke confrontation and crisis.

Earlier, in a question-and-answer session following Austin’s speech, Senior Col. Cao Yanzhong, a research fellow at China’s Academy of Military Sciences, asked the defense secretary if the U.S. was pursuing a NATO-like alliance in Asia.

He suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was prompted by an expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—a claim often advanced by Russian President Vladimir Putin to justify his decision in 2022 to invade his smaller neighbor.

“I respectfully disagree with your point that the expansion of NATO caused the Ukraine crisis," Austin said, drawing applause from the audience.

“The Ukraine crisis obviously was caused because Mr. Putin made a decision to unlawfully invade his neighbor, who had an inferior military at that point in time," he said. “He assumed he could very quickly roll over his neighbor and annex the country. That was two-plus years ago. He has not achieved any of his strategic objectives to this point."

Write to Feliz Solomon at [email protected] and Chun Han Wong at [email protected]