"This is unfortunate that such a big, independent, powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," the Ukrainian president said at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
"Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction," Adm. Dong Jun, China's defense minister, said here in remarks liberally sprinkled with aggressive imagery and threats.
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
Asked by a Chinese military official if he's talking about a Pacific NATO, Austin emphasized the network is a group of countries "with similar values and a common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific."
In reportedly frank talks, US and Chinese military chiefs discuss Taiwan, South China Sea, and, according to the Pentagon, Beijing's support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she "wouldn't commit" to such a dramatic jump in spending as floated by Sen. Roger Wicker, but she "certainly welcome[s] that conversation."