US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin accused China of trying to reshape the Indo-Pacific region and the international order "in line with its authoritarian approach," he said.
Austin said, in a speech at the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Canada, that the growing challenge facing the US Department of Defense is an "increasingly assertive" China, explaining that "maintaining an open and secure international system is at the heart of everything we do."
"Today, a stable and open order is threatened, not only by the challenge from China, but also by a tragic and devastating war in the heart of Europe," he added.
On the other hand, China expressed its willingness to hold talks with the US Secretary of Defense on the sidelines of a regional security forum to be held in Cambodia this week, after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden met on the sidelines of the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali last week.
The Chinese president also had a short conversation with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) summit in Bangkok.
Today, Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "China adopts an open and positive attitude towards exchanging views with the United States," adding that the two sides are coordinating on "exchanging views" during the forum scheduled for next Wednesday.
Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and the US Secretary of Defense had confirmed that they would attend the forum that brings together defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).