미 국방 "인도 태평양서 다자화할수록 좋아... 나토 훌륭한 기준"
The U.S. defense chief is emphasizing the need for a multilateral alliance resembling NATO in the Indo-Pacific region.
This follows U.S. calls for South Korea to join the Quad Plus initiative, a collective structure in the region that is similar to NATO.
China strongly criticized such a move... saying the U.S. has crossed the line.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has brought up the need to build a collective security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region,... referring to North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, as a good example.
Speaking at a seminar organized by U.S. think tank RAND Corporation... Esper said on Wednesday that the U.S. should pursue multilateral cooperation rather than one-on-one alliances... to deter conflict with China or Russia.
This follows similar remarks by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun late last month... who expressed the need to push and expand the U.S.'s so-called Quad Plus initiative, involving Australia, Japan and India... a NATO-like collective structure in the Indo-Pacific.
Esper said one of the biggest advantages the U.S. has that China and Russia don't is that it has a robust network of alliances and partnerships in the region... and that this is particularly vital in case a conflict arises.
Esper added that when China has to think about a potential conflict with the U.S., it can't just think about the U.S., it has to think about other countries too including Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore and many more.
In response, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in an interview with China's Xinhua News Agency... stated the U.S. had crossed the line... using all sorts of excuses to intervene in other countries' affairs.
He added that in order to pressure other countries to choose its side and maintain power, the U.S. is suppressing newly rising economic systems with no good reason... by creating an atmosphere resembling the Cold War era.
He claimed this kind of behavior would go against every country's shared interests and that the international community would not accept it.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
