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WORLD NEWS Monday 25 July 2022

Milley: China more aggressive, dangerous to U.S., allies

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)
— The Chinese military has
become significantly more
aggressive and dangerous
over the past five years, the
top U.S. military officer said
during a trip to the Indo-
Pacific that included a stop
Sunday in Indonesia.
U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chair-
man of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said the number of
intercepts by Chinese air-
craft and ships in the Pa-
cific region with U.S. and
other partner forces has
increased significantly over
that time, and the number
of unsafe interactions has
risen by similar proportions.
"The message is the Chi- U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, right, walks with Indonesian Armed
Forces Chief Gen. Andika Perkasa, center and Perkasa's wife Diah Erwiany during their meeting
nese military, in the air and at Indonesian military headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, July 24, 2022.
at sea, have become sig- Associated Press
nificantly more and notice-
ably more aggressive in remains Taiwan's chief ally essarily favorable to our Chinese fighter in interna-
this particular region," said and supplier of defense allies and partners in the tional airspace. Also, U.S.
Milley, who recently asked weapons. U.S. law requires region." ships are routinely dogged
his staff to compile details the government to treat Milley's visit to Indonesia is by Chinese aircraft and
about interactions be- all threats to the island as the first by a U.S. joint chiefs vessels during transits, par-
tween China and the U.S. matters of "grave concern," chairman since Adm. Mike ticularly around manmade
and others in the region. but remains ambiguous on Mullen in 2008. But U.S. islands claimed by Beijing in
His comments came as the whether the U.S. military leaders have crisscrossed the South China Sea.
U.S. redoubles efforts to would defend Taiwan if it the Asia-Pacific in recent Milley said there have been
strengthen its relationships were attacked by China. months, including high- Chinese intercepts with Ja-
with Pacific nations as a China's joint chiefs of staff profile visits by Defense pan, Canada, Australia,
counterbalance to China, chairman, Gen. Li Zuo- Secretary Lloyd Austin and Philippines and Vietnam.
which is trying to expand cheng, told Milley in a call Secretary of State Antony They all, he said, have seen
its presence and influence earlier this month that Bei- Blinken. a "statistically significant"
in the region. The Biden ad- jing had "no room for com- The Biden administration increase in intercepts, and
ministration considers Chi- promise" on issues such as has been taking steps to the number of unsafe inci-
na its "pacing threat" and Taiwan. He said he told Mil- expand its military and se- dents has increased by an
America's primary long- ley that the U.S. must "cease curity relationship with In- "equal proportion."
term security challenge. U.S.-Taiwan military collu- do-Pacific nations as part Milley, who met on Sunday
Milley's trip to the region sion and avoid impacting of a campaign to build a with Gen. Andika Perkasa,
is sharply focused on the China-U.S. ties and stability stronger network of allianc- chief of the Indonesian Na-
China threat. He will attend in the Taiwan Strait." es in China's backyard and tional Defence Forces, said
a meeting of Indo-Pacific The U.S. and others are counter China's growing in- Pacific nations like Indone-
chiefs of defense this com- also worried that a recent fluence. sia want the U.S. military in-
ing week in Australia, where security agreement that Milley declined to provide volved and engaged in the
key topics will be China's Beijing signed in April with specific numbers of un- region.
escalating military growth the Solomon Islands could safe Chinese interactions "We want to work with them
and the need to maintain lead to the establishment with U.S. and allied air- to develop interoperability
a free, open and peaceful of a Chinese naval base in craft and ships. But Austin, and modernize our militar-
Pacific. the South Pacific. The U.S. in a speech in Singapore ies collectively," Milley said,
U.S. military officials have and Australia have told the last month, referred to an in order to ensure they can
also raised alarms about Solomon Islands that host- "alarming increase" in the "meet whatever challenge
the possibility that China ing a Chinese military base number of unsafe inter- that China poses."
could invade Taiwan, the would not be tolerated. cepts by People's Libera- He said Indonesia is strate-
democratic, self-ruled is- "This is an area in which Chi- tion Army aircraft and ves- gically critical to the region,
land that Beijing views as a na is trying to do outreach sels. and has long been a key
breakaway province. Chi- for their own purposes. And Austin specifically point- U.S. partner.
na has stepped up its mili- again, this is concerning ed to a February incident Milley, who spent the af-
tary provocations against because China is not doing where a PLA navy ship di- ternoon at Andika's mili-
Taiwan as it looks to intimi- it just for benign reasons," rected a laser at an Aus- tary headquarters, was
date it into unifying with the Milley told reporters travel- tralian P-8 maritime patrol greeted with a massive
communist mainland. ing with him. "They're trying aircraft. But there have billboard bearing his photo
U.S. military officials have to expand their influence been a number of oth- and name, a military pa-
said Beijing wants to be throughout the region. And ers. A surveillance aircraft rade and a large television
ready to make a move on that has potential conse- controlled by Canada was screen that showed a vid-
the island by 2027. The U.S. quences that are not nec- recently intercepted by a eo of his career.q