WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2023) The United States is committed to ensuring that every country is free to conduct lawful activities in the Indo-Pacific region, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
"We're committed to ensuring that every country can fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. And every country, large and small, must remain free to conduct lawful maritime activities," Austin said on Friday.
According to Austin, the United States is modernizing its presence in the Indo-Pacific so that it can continue to conduct activities in the region daily where international law permits.
Since 2020, Austin said, the United States has invested nearly $1.2 billion in security cooperation funding to ensure that Indo-Pacific countries can detect malign actions and deter coercion in the region.
Moreover, the US defense chief noted that President Joe Biden's 2024 budget request includes a 40 percent increase over last year's request for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, proposing an all-time high of $9.1 billion.
Earlier on Friday, Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu briefly greeted each other at Shangri-La forum's dinner reception, but did not exchange in any meaningful dialogue. Austin said in May that he expected to engage with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, but China declined.
