That Can Spiral Out Of Control: US Makes Important Announcement About War With China

The head of the Pentagon spoke at a defence forum in Singapore.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that despite the rapid escalation of tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, a war with China “is neither imminent nor inevitable.”

The head of the Pentagon at the Shangri-La Defense Forum in Singapore in this context stressed the importance of resuming dialogue with his Chinese side in order to avoid "miscalculations and misunderstandings," the Associated Press reports.

Austin's comments came a day after he met on the sidelines with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun for more than an hour. The head of the Pentagon did not disclose the details of the conversation, but noted the importance of the conversation itself.

“As long as we’re talking, we’re able to identify those issues that are troublesome and that we want to make sure that we have placed guardrails to ensure there are no misperceptions and no miscalculations … that can spiral out of control. You can only do that kind of thing if you are talking,” Austin said.

Reacting to the statements of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the day before regarding conflict situations with China against the backdrop of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, he confirmed that the US obligations towards the Philippines as a treaty partner are "ironclad".

“There are a number of things that can happen at sea or in the air, we recognize that. But our goal is to make sure that we don’t allow things to spiral out of control unnecessarily,” Austin said.

He also said that many of these issues are best resolved through negotiations, but also assured that Washington will continue to ensure that the rights of nations in the region are protected and that they retain access to their exclusive economic zones.

“A war or struggle with China, in my opinion, is neither imminent nor unavoidable. State leaders need to continue to work together to make sure we do things to reduce opportunities for miscalculation and misunderstanding,” the US minister said.

The head of the Pentagon was also responsible for Beijing's statements regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, which Chinese officials refer to as the "Ukrainian crisis", without directly condemning Moscow's aggression. Thus, Austin noted that such a “crisis was obviously caused by the fact that Putin decided to illegally invade his neighbor.”