China v. US across Asia

The story I would tell

Austin shakes hands with Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, left, and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday. (Caroline Chia/Reuters)

WAPO story on how “U.S. and China lay out competing security visions for Asia-Pacific.”

The venue is annual strategic powwow known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, with both US SECDEF Austin and PRC DEFMIN Dong Jun basically playing to the crowd of Asian states gathered:

The dialogue also allowed the two powers to make their arguments before an international audience of their peers, including defense officials from nearby South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and others — themselves the targets of U.S. and Chinese influence campaigns and the often uncomfortable bystanders to a global strategic power struggle.

Both Austin and Dong appealed to shared values and a respect for international law, without mentioning the other’s country by name, at a conference that nonetheless revolved almost entirely around the U.S.-China relationship.

Austin’s message was simple: so long as China behaves in an increasingly aggressive fashion, America will be there to help.

Dong’s reply was predictable in its mirror-imaging:

Dong’s remarks on Sunday largely mirrored Austin’s rhetoric but flipped the claims of respect for international order and allegations of unlawful aggression to blame Washington and its allies and partners. It is China that is committed to peace and that has exercised tremendous “restraint” in the Asia-Pacific region, Dong said, alluding to the United States — without naming it — as a nefarious outsider seeking to influence the affairs of a region where it doesn’t belong.

Both arguments hold up well.

America, at least under Biden, isn’t going anywhere and remains eager to match China’s regional military buildup with lotsa arms sales to its friends and allies across the region.

Fair enough.

[As for a possible Trumpian return to power, the potential for a strategic “fire sale” is real.]

Dong’s point about America being a “nefarious outsider” also holds — from the Chinese perspective. If, for example, China sold arms throughout Latin America and engaged in similar mil-mil activities in our hemisphere, we’d be freaking out regularly.

So, yeah, also fair enough.

Here’s how I would have described this stubborn strategic reality — from the American perspective — if I had been at the event and had a chance to speak: