Lloyd Austin Shangri-La Dialogue 2023

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin speaks at the 2023 Shangri-La dialogue. (IISS)

SHANGRI-LA DIALOGUE — In a keynote address today, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on Indo-Pacific countries to partner ever more closely with the United States and renewed the call to China to open its dialogue with American officials.

“For responsible defense leaders, the right time to talk is anytime. The right time to talk is everytime. And the right time to talk is now. Dialogue is not a reward. It is a necessity,” Austin said Saturday morning at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

“You know, I am deeply concerned that the PRC has been unwilling to engage more seriously on better mechanisms for crisis management between our two militaries. But I hope that will change, and soon. I’ve said it before: Great powers must be beacons of transparency and responsibility. And the United States is deeply committed to doing our part.”

Ahead of the conference, the US said it was not expected that Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Li Shangfu, would talk at the event. While they did have a brief handshake and hello the first evening of the dialogue, Austin clearly didn’t think it was enough: In his speech, he noted “A cordial handshake over dinner is not a substitute for substantial dialogue,” a line not in his prepared remarks distributed to press. 

Much of Austin’s speech echoed themes expressed last night by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, including his use of the term “guardrails” when discussing ways to avoid conflict. There was much talk of partnerships, joint exercises with allies and partners, and, of course, the AUKUS agreement.

On AUKUS, he said the agreement to help Australia buy and build nuclear attack submarines “absolutely promotes greater stability and security” in the Indo-Pacific.

Asked what he would tell his counterpart Li if he got the chance, Austin said he’d restate US policy toward Taiwan: “It’s the same thing I told him last time. Our policy, the US policy toward Taiwan has not changed.”

Echoing Albanese, the defense secretary said conflict between the United States and the People’s Republic of China “is neither imminent nor inevitable. But the way that you deter any misguided decision is by having a combat capable military.”

In a pointed reminder to China, which often claims it is the country of peace and partnership, he said, “We don’t ask people to choose between us and another country. We don’t impose our will on other countries.”

A good example of China trying to impose its will was its imposition several years ago on Australia of punishing tariffs for a range of important goods, including coal, timber, lobster and wine when Australia called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Some of those tariffs have now been rolled back, in the face of determined diplomacy by Australia and, perhaps, influenced by Australia’s decision to build and deploy nuclear attack subs.

Another example was the recent aggression by Chinese coast guard vessels that threatened Philippine coastal vessels and fishermen as they sailed into Philippine waters that China illegally claims in the South China Sea.

Austin, again echoing Albanese, said, “Any kind of disagreements should be resolved through diplomacy.” He stressed the importance of sovereignty, something Beijing regularly invokes when it accuses the US and other countries of “interfering” in its affairs.

In a message that must have been aimed at China, he pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which “has brought home to people everywhere how dangerous our world would be if big countries could just invade their peaceful neighbors with impunity.

“Russia’s invasion shows us all the dangers of disorder and the cost of chaos,” he said.

Austin also noted rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific spurred by North Korean nuclear threats and the Beijing’s provocations in the region.

He also publicly criticized China for what he called “an alarming number of risky intercepts of US and allied aircraft flying lawfully in international airspace,” he said. Just days ago, the Pentagon published a video of an RC-135 flying in international airspace being buffeted by a Chinese J-16 fighter that passed dangerously close.

He pledged to support allies and partners in the region “as they defend themselves against coercion and bullying.”

“To be clear: we do not seek conflict or confrontation,” he said. “But we will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion.”

“This vision isn’t the vision or initiative of a single country,” he said. “It’s a common and compelling aspiration. It’s about building the basic conditions that let people live their lives without fear and pursue dreams without limit. And that matters to citizens across the region.”