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Halifax (Canada) (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Saturday that China and Russia seek a world where force is used to settle disputes and promised the United States would continue to uphold humanitarian principles and international law.
Austin told the “Halifax International Forum” on security in Canada that “Beijing, like Moscow, seeks a world where the strongest prevail, where disputes are settled by force, and where authoritarian rulers can extinguish the flame of freedom”.
Austin underlined that the war Moscow is waging against Kiev “has highlighted the challenge we face in the Indo-Pacific region, where (China) is also pushing in a direction far removed from our vision of a free, stable and open. “
The US defense secretary said China’s activities around Taiwan had been “increasingly provocative”, with Chinese aircraft flying near the island on an almost daily basis and carrying out a series of dangerous intercepts of US and allied aircraft.
Washington sees China’s efforts to establish a new reality in the Indo-Pacific region as the greatest challenge facing the United States.
The US National Defense Strategy, released last month, noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the “sharp threats” posed by Moscow, which Washington is trying to deter.
In his speech on Saturday, Austin linked the two challenges and said that if one country can escape responsibility for abuses, others will follow suit.
“There are still rules to war,” Austin said, warning that a superpower’s violation of those rules “would encourage other countries to challenge international law and international norms.”
“We are determined to defend these foundations, and especially the fundamental principle that non-combatants enjoy immunity,” he added.
“Moscow’s efforts to enlist the support of countries like Iran and North Korea create new security challenges for the United States and its allies,” he said.
He continued, “Russia has enlisted Iran and North Korea to help it in its attack on Ukraine, mostly using Iranian drones to kill Ukrainian civilians.”
Washington has pointed to the presence of Iranians in Crimea to help Russia carry out drone strikes against Ukraine, which Tehran has denied.
Austin said that Ukraine was on the verge of a harsh winter and that Moscow could once again wield nuclear weapons after suffering battlefield losses and promised that the United States and its allies would meet these challenges.
The US secretary added that the Russian invasion gives a glimpse into “a world full of tyranny and turmoil in which none of us wants to live”.
© 2022 AFP
