Speaking at the Shangri-La Security and Defence Dialogue, which concluded Sunday in Singapore, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu warned against establishing NATO-like military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.
Such a move would plunge the region into a spiral of conflict, the Chinese minister said, stressing that the Asia-Pacific region needs open and comprehensive cooperation, not small groups, and stressed that the tragedies of the two world wars should not be allowed to be repeated.
The Chinese defense minister's remarks allude to alliances established by the United States in the region, alliances at the heart of which Australia is located, most notably the AUKUS group, a tripartite alliance established in 2021 that includes the United States, Britain and Australia with the aim of strengthening the Western military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
There is also the Quad security alliance established in 2007 between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
The attached report of Al Jazeera sheds light on the most prominent of these alliances.