China seeks to refashion region, international system to serve its authoritarian interests: Llyod Austin

“China poses a major challenge,” Austin said in his opening remarks at the 2+2 ministerial meeting being co-hosted along with his cabinet colleague Secretary of State Tony Blinken for their Indian counterparts Rajnath Singh and EAM S Jaishankar Washington: China is seeking to refashion the Indo-Pacific region and the international system in ways that serve its authoritarian interests, US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin said on Monday, asserting that a strong bilateral partnership with India is a critical building block in a more resilient, regional security architecture. “China poses a major challenge,” Austin said in his opening remarks at the 2+2 ministerial meeting being co-hosted along with his cabinet colleague Secretary of State Tony Blinken for their Indian counterparts Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. “Now, a strong US-Indian partnership is a critical building block in a more resilient, regional security architecture, and so today’s 2+2 is an opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen our cooperation with like-minded partners from East and Southeast Asia to Europe and beyond,” Austin said. “And so I believe that the investments that we’ve made together today will help to ensure that our shared vision of a secure, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region thrives in the decades ahead,” Austin said.