US will not allow China to ‘coerce’ nations in Asia: Trump admin

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ The US will not allow China to “bully” or “coerce” nations in Asia, a senior Trump administration official has said, amidst Beijing flexing its muscles in the region.

The Trump administration has made clear that the US wants a “productive” relationship with China, and the two countries must work to manage and resolve differences, Susan Thornton, Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her confirmation hearing.

We have been equally clear, however, that we will not abide Chinese attempts to displace the US in Asia, to coerce countries in the region and that we will not be taken advantage of, she said.

If the international system that has enabled China’s rise is to continue, then rules and standards must be observed and countries must not be bullied or threatened, but treated as equal players, Thornton said. The administration, under Trump’s leadership, is working to expand and deepen partnerships throughout the region via the Indo-Pacific strategy, she said.