Lloyd Austin brands China as ‘only competitor’ to US on world stage

Russia is an ‘acute threat’ but has been deterred from attacking Nato, US defence chief said

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin gives a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington. Reuters

China is America's “only competitor” in the international arena, while Russia presents an “acute threat” to US interests, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Thursday.

“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] is the only competitor out there with both the intent to reshape the international order and increasingly the power to do so,” Mr Austin said.

The Pentagon chief had been speaking at a briefing to unveil the first National Defence Strategy document for President Joe Biden's administration.

In the document, rivalry with China took centre stage, becoming one of the Pentagon's top priorities.

“My team and I have been laser-focused on this issue since day one,” the US defence chief said.

In contrast, Mr Austin called Russia “an acute threat” but not a US competitor.

“Unlike China, Russia can’t systemically challenge the United States over the long term,” he said.

“But Russian aggression does pose an immediate and sharp threat to our interests and values.”

However, the US defence chief called Russia’s invasion a “reckless war of choice against Ukraine” and “the worst threat to European security since the end of World War II”.

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP

At the same time, Mr Austin said the US has “not seen anything to indicate that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made a decision to use a dirty bomb”.

He was referring to recent concerns raised by Russia that Ukraine was planning to use a “dirty bomb” — an explosive containing radioactive material. Russia's rhetoric on the issue led to fears Moscow could be planning to initiate a false flag operation in Ukraine that would allow it to use its own dirty bomb.

The 80-page National Defence Strategy document described the conflict with China as “neither inevitable nor desirable”, and warned against Beijing's expanded influence in the Indo-Pacific, stressing the need to prevent it from exercising “dominance of key regions”.

As to the Middle East, Mr Austin said it is the Iranian threat that is the centre of concerns.

“Iran is moving ahead on its nuclear programme, supporting dangerous armed proxies and even exporting drones that Russia is using to terrorise Ukrainian civilians,” he said.

The document on Thursday is the first strategy released since the US ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan in August of last year.

The new review calls for increased research and development on cutting-edge technologies — including hypersonic weapons — as well as cyber, artificial intelligence and directed energy.

On Thursday, China called on the US to respect its interests and concerns before reopening military communications that were halted in August in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

People walk past a billboard welcoming US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei, Taiwan. AP

A US military aircraft carrying Ms Pelosi makes its descent at Songshan Airport in Taipei. AFP

Supporters outside Songshan Airport welcome Ms Pelosi. Bloomberg

Ms Pelosi is visiting Taiwan as part of a tour of Asia aimed at reassuring allies in the region. Getty Images

A Taipei 101 skyscraper message welcomes Ms Pelosi to Taiwan. EPA

Ms Pelosi is greeted by Joseph Wu, Taiwan's foreign minister, at Songshan Airport. EPA / Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ms Pelosi poses for a group photo with Mr Wu and other officials on the tarmac. EPA / Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ms Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years. Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP

Ms Pelosi poses with members of her delegation and Taiwanese officials. AP

Police officers stand outside the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Bloomberg

Police officers await a convoy carrying Ms Pelosi outside the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Bloomberg

Police officers await a convoy carrying Ms Pelosi. Bloomberg

Throngs of media wait outside the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Bloomberg

The convoy carrying Ms Pelosi arrives at the Grand Hyatt. Bloomberg

People hope to take a photo of Ms Pelosi's arrival outside the hotel. Reuters

Supporters gathered outside the Grand Hyatt welcome Ms Pelosi. Bloomberg

Demonstrators show their support for Ms Pelosi's visit. Reuters

The Taipei 101 building lit up with a message reading 'TW hearts US'. Bloomberg

Demonstrators in Taipei show their support of the US as Ms Pelosi arrives. Reuters

Not everyone in Taipei is thrilled by Ms Pelosi's visit. AP

China’s defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said the US must prove themselves to be consistent in several areas to allow military channels to return to normal.

“If the US side wants to improve military communication between China and the US, then it should match words with deeds, demonstrate its sincerity, and earnestly respect China’s interests and major concerns, and remove the negative factors that impede the development of ties between the two militaries,” Mr Tan told The South China Morning Post.

Mr Austin met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore earlier this month and said the two sides had agreed that open communications were important.

The Associated Press contributed to this report