WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2023) The United States is trying to enhance its military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region in order to deter China, Assistant US Secretary of Defense Mara Karlin said.
"We are building and deepening cooperation in the region," Karlin said at the Center for a New American Security on Wednesday.
Karlin explained that the United States is working with "key actors" on a joint approach to deter China.
Karlin also expressed confidence that the alliance between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom - better known by the acronym AUKUS - represents a strategic partnership that is focused on enhancing regional stability and safeguarding a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The United States has achieved a lot of progress in "optimizing its posture" in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in Australia, Japan and the Philippines, Karlin said.
"That is all really meaningful when you look at our ability to project power," Karlin added.
