US Defense Secretary: US 'can only be safe if Asia is safe'

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Saturday that the United States "can only be safe if Asia is safe," emphasizing that the Asia-Pacific region remains a "priority" for Washington.

Austin was speaking following rare talks on the sidelines of a defense forum in Singapore with his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, which a Beijing spokesperson described as "positive."

During the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defense forum running until Sunday that has become a barometer for US-China relations in recent years, Austin stated, "The United States can only be safe if Asia is safe, and that is why the United States has maintained its presence in this region for a long time."

He added that despite conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific region "remains a priority theater of operations for us."

This forum, attended by numerous defense officials from around the world, takes place a week after major military exercises conducted by China, during which Chinese warships and fighter jets encircled Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

AFP