Washington [US], June 1: During the "truce" on tariffs, the US suddenly strongly criticized China in terms of economy, security and military.
Yesterday (May 31), Reuters quoted US President Donald Trump as accusing China of violating a bilateral agreement on reducing tariffs between the two sides and restricting the export of certain minerals. Therefore, Mr. Trump implicitly threatened to take tougher measures against China.
Total stress
Mr. Trump's accusations were made in the context of the two countries temporarily "ceasefire" in the trade war, stopping most of the recent tariffs against each other for 90 days to negotiate trade. In addition to criticizing trade, Washington has also made accusations about Beijing's military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Specifically, on the same day, May 31, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, taking place in Singapore, emphasizing Washington's commitment to the Indo-Pacific, while strongly criticizing China. Mr. Hegseth accused Beijing of preparing to use military force to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. He also affirmed that the Chinese military is building its capacity to reunify with Taiwan by force. Therefore, Beijing is training its military for "situations" in the Taiwan Strait. Thereby, the owner of the Pentagon affirmed that the Indo-Pacific is "America's priority battlefield" in the coming time. Besides, he also said: "When our allies share the burden, we can increase our focus on the Indo-Pacific".
Decode the message
Responding to Thanh Nien last night (May 31), Dr. Satoru Nagao (Hudson Institute, USA) pointed out that Minister Hegseth's statement at the Shangri La Dialogue showed the following three important points.
"First, Mr. Hegseth mentioned the long-term and strong presence of the US in the Indo-Pacific. Noting that Beijing is "prepared to use military force to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific", the US Secretary of Defense also emphasized that any attempt by Beijing to unify Taiwan by force would lead to devastating consequences not only for the region but also for the whole world. The view from these statements shows that the US is focusing on China. To deal with China, the US prioritizes its presence in the Indo-Pacific. This is a very clear message," Dr. Nagao analyzed.
The expert added: "Minister Hegseth also conveyed the message: 'We are not here to pressure other countries to accept and adopt our policies or ideologies; we are not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues; we are not here to impose our will on you. We are all sovereign nations.' This message emphasizes that ideology and issues similar to climate change... were the policies of the previous US administration under Mr. Joe Biden. Through this, the current US Secretary of Defense pointed out that such an era is over in Washington's policy." This implies that the US will be more assertive with China.
Third, according to the expert, Minister Hegseth mentioned: "When our allies share the burden, we can increase our focus on the Indo-Pacific - our priority region." This statement means that the future of the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific is linked together. "The view from these statements shows that the current US policy is to ask allies to share more of the security burden. US allies need to increase their defense budgets," Dr. Nagao analyzed and said that to counter China, President Trump's administration can ally with any country that has the same interests. But at the same time, these countries must share more of the security burden with the US.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
