U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy serves only self-interest, destined to fail: Chinese delegate

SINGAPORE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy serves only U.S. geopolitical self-interest and is destined to fail, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission Jing Jianfeng said here Saturday.

Jing told the press at the ongoing 21st Shangri-La Dialogue that the speech made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin earlier Saturday, which peddled the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, was mere political rhetoric.

Under the banner of promoting regional cooperation, the United States clings to a Cold War mentality, engages in zero-sum games, forms exclusive "clubs," and aims at merging the small cliques into an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO" to maintain the U.S. hegemony, Jing said.

He said that the strategy is outdated and the common aspiration of Asia-Pacific countries is peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, while the United States aims at creating divisions, inciting confrontation and undermining regional stability.

The "partnerships" advocated by the United States are actually small groups that prioritize the U.S. interest, Jing said, adding that the United States has consistently pursued an "America first" approach.

While the United States claims to support ASEAN centrality, it actually created division. By establishing various trilateral and quadrilateral "small groups," the United States strengthens a U.S.-centric regional framework and weakens ASEAN-centered cooperation, he said.

The Asia-Pacific region is a big stage for peaceful development rather than an arena for geopolitical games, he noted, adding that prosperity and stability are a common pursuit.

The stable development of China-U.S. military relations serves the common interests of both sides and is expected by the international community, Jing said.

He further said that both militaries should implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, uphold the spirit of no conflict and no confrontation, and serve as a cornerstone for the stability of bilateral relations.

Jing expressed his hope that the United States would match its actions with words, strengthen communication, and advance cooperation under the principle of valuing peace, prioritizing stability, and upholding credibility to explore a correct way for the two countries to get along that benefits both countries and meets global expectations.