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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Beijing seeks world where ‘might makes right’: US
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
/ Reuters and AP, HALIFAX, Nova Scotia
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Saturday said that Beijing, like Moscow, “seeks a world where might makes right.”
Speaking at the annual Halifax International Security Forum, Austin compared Russia to China, saying that Beijing is trying to refashion the region and the international system to suit its authoritarian preferences.
He said that Chinese aircraft were flying near Taiwan in record numbers almost daily, while the number of what he called “dangerous intercepts” by China of US or allied forces at sea or in the air were increasing.
“Beijing, like Moscow, seeks a world where might makes right, where disputes are resolved by force, and where autocrats can stamp out the flame of freedom,” he said.
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have risen since China staged war games near Taiwan in August after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Austin said that the US was drawing on the lessons of Ukraine to “bolster the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners.”
“We’re helping them to become more agile and resilient,” Austin said.
Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Tan Kefei （譚克非） yesterday said that Chinese Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe （魏鳳和） was open to meeting with Austin at the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cambodia.
He said the two sides were coordinating on a possible “exchange” at the forum, set to take place on Wednesday.
A meeting would represent the first high-level military exchange between the countries since China halted regular dialogue between military commanders in August in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit.
In Halifax, Austin made some of his strongest comments to date on the importance of the international community helping Kyiv prevail after nearly nine months of war.
“Russia’s invasion offers a preview of a possible world of tyranny and turmoil that none of us would want to live in. And it’s an invitation to an increasingly insecure world haunted by the shadow of nuclear proliferation,” Austin said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
