US Defense: "Continue to Promote 'Pacific NATO'"... China Diplomacy: "Creating New Cold War for Hegemony"

US Reiterates Emphasis on Multilateralization of Bilateral Cooperation in Indo-Pacific Region
China: "US Attempts Unilateral Hegemony Maintenance"

On the 9th (local time), Wang Yi (left), State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China, and Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, who attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Moscow, Russia, are seen conversing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, emphasized on the 16th (local time) that bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region should evolve into multilateral cooperation, citing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as an example. Following the State Department, the Department of Defense also appears to be actively supporting the establishment of a multilateral security system within the Asian region. In response, Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, indirectly criticized the U.S. move to create an Indo-Pacific version of NATO.

After delivering a speech at the U.S. think tank RAND Corporation focusing on the U.S. response to the threat from China, Secretary Esper was asked about his expectations for alliances, to which he replied, "The more multilateral the relationships in this theater, the better."

Esper further explained, "NATO is an excellent standard for collective security and cooperation among allies and partners. There are too many one-on-one relationships. We are very good in bilateral relations like U.S.-Japan, U.S.-South Korea, and U.S.-Australia, but we need to start adding cooperation where multiple countries are involved." This is interpreted as a remark that current bilateral relations in the region are insufficient for responses through multilateral relations.

When the moderator mentioned the 'Quad,' a four-country consultative group consisting of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India, Secretary Esper said, "The Quad is something we intend to continue pursuing." Earlier, the U.S. State Department also mentioned the necessity of the Quad. On the 31st of last month, Steven Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, referred to the Quad while stating that there is no cooperative body in the Indo-Pacific region at the level of NATO.

In this context, the U.S. is also discussing a 'Quad Plus' that includes South Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand. The U.S. has been emphasizing daily the need for allies and partner countries to actively participate in the U.S. multilateral cooperation initiative aimed at containing China.

Regarding the signs of establishing an Indo-Pacific version of NATO through the U.S. Quad, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, "The U.S. is trying to create a 'new Cold War' to maintain unilateral hegemony," adding, "China shares concerns about international situations with neighboring countries such as Russia, Central Asia, and Mongolia." Wang further explained that his visit to Russia was also to respond to such U.S. moves and to build mutual trust with neighboring countries.

Wang evaluated, "Russia has been positive about the achievements in strategic security and defense exchanges so far," and emphasized, "We will cooperate according to the new situation." This is interpreted as a statement that if the U.S. establishes an Indo-Pacific NATO force, China will coordinate with Russia and other neighboring countries and take corresponding measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.