The so-called China challenge is part of the United States engagement with countries in the Indo-Pacific region but not its primary focus, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2023) The so-called China challenge is part of the United States engagement with countries in the Indo-Pacific region but not its Primary focus, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said on Friday.
"This is not all about China, this is about our partnerships with the countries of the Indo-Pacific," Kritenbrink said during a panel at the Brookings Institution. "The China challenge looms large for all of our partners, just as it does for us, but I think the best way to manage that challenge is to focus on building the collective capacity of our partners."
The statement comes ahead of the trips by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the Indo-Pacific region for talks with partners and allies.
Blinken will visit the island nation of Tonga, where he will dedicate the new US Embassy in Nuku'alofa.
On Thursday, the State Department said that the United States is not establishing the embassy in Tonga for the purpose of countering Chinese influence.
Kritenbrink said that United States is also not making other countries choose to have ties with Washington or with Beijing.
