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US Defense Secretary Mattis praises China on North Korea

Veeramalla Anjaiah (The Jakarta Post)
Singapore
Sat, June 3, 2017

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US Defense Secretary Mattis praises China on North Korea United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis delivers a speech during the first plenary session of the 16th Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 3. The annual dialogue is attended by defense ministers from around the region and runs from June 2 to 4. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)

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ejecting rumors that the United States is not serious about its leadership in the Asia-Pacific region, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis reiterated that Washington is fully committed to maintaining security in the region, giving clear signals that the US is firm on issues like North Korea and the South China Sea.

Mattis said in Singapore on Friday that Washington stands with its Asia-Pacific partners and allies. The US is reportedly ready to work with China, its main competitor in the region, on the issue of North Korea, which has been carrying out nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

US President Donald Trump lobbied his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to put combined pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.

“Ultimately, we believe China will come to recognize North Korea as a strategic liability, not an asset,” Mattis said at the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue's ’s first plenary session on “The United States and Asia-Pacific Security” in Singapore on Saturday.  

(Read also: Shangri-La Dialogue kicks off with call for rules-based regional structure)

The first sign of cooperation between the two powers was evident in the United Nations Security Council’s expanded targeted sanctions against Kim Jong-un’s regime. The 15-member council, including China and Russia, unanimously voted to impose sanctions on North Korea.

The praise of China was short lived during Mattis' speech as he criticized Beijing on the issue of the South China Sea. Based on a controversial nine-dash map, China claims more than 80 percent of the strategic sea.

"We cannot accept Chinese actions that impinge on the interests of the international community," Mattis said. (ebf)

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