Chinese military in the air and at sea has become significantly more aggressive: US General Mark Milley

US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that the Chinese military in the air and at sea has become “noticeably more aggressive” in the Pacific.

Milley added that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with the US had increased significantly including “unsafe interactions”.

The top US general made the comments during his trip to the Indo-Pacific as the US seeks to realign with allies in the region in an attempt to contain China’s influence. Reports claim Chinese General Li Zuocheng during a phone call with Milley this month had said there was “no room for compromise” on Taiwan.

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China recently concluded a security agreement with the Solomon Islands raising US fears over Xi regime’s apparent intention to establish a naval base in the south Pacific.

Milley added that China is trying to do an “outreach” in the region and “not just for benign reasons”. The US general said the Communist nation is trying to increase its influence throughout the region and that the “political consequences” for US allies in the region are not favourable.

Last month, US and Chinese officials had held talks after both sides clashed on Taiwan and other issues as US security adviser Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi met, but both sides failed to reach a compromise over Taiwan. Yang asserted that the“Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-US relations which, unless handled properly, will have a subversive impact.”

Milley added that Japan, Australia, Vietnam and Canada intercepted Chinese movements which hadincreased.

Last month, the Philippines ended talks with China over joint energy project in the South China Sea. The two countries had signed an agreement in 2018 to cooperate on oil and gas exploration.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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