North Korea's push to acquire a nuclear-armed missile capable of threatening America and other nations is a "clear and present danger", U.S. defence secretary Jim Mattis has said.
The comments by Mattis, during the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, show how U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is looking to balance working with China to restrain North Korea's advancing missile and nuclear programs while dealing with Beijing's activities in the South China Sea.
"We desire productive relationships, but we can not allow China to use its economic power to buy its way out of other problems, whether it's militarizing islands in the South China Sea or failing to put appropriate pressure on North Korea", he said.
The US Navy on May 25 conducted a "freedom of navigation" operation in the South China Sea, when the USS Dewey guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands.
Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirmed USA commitment to the Asian-Pacific region Saturday "based on strategic interests and on shared values".
"While competition between the USA and China, the world's two largest economies, is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable", he said.
In a sign of the U.S. commitment to the region, Mattis said that soon about 60 percent of overseas tactical aviation assets would be assigned to the region and he would work with the U.S. Congress on an Asia-Pacific stability initiative.
"No matter what others say, whatever sanctions and pressure may follow, we will not flinch from the road to build up nuclear forces. and will move forward towards the final victory", the North said.
The new asset and travel freeze targeted senior officials and its core military apparatus that were directly responsible for the regime's illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, South Korea Ambassador to the UN, Cho Tae-Yul, told the council.
Although President Donald Trump's decision to pull the USA out of the Paris climate change agreement has "heavy consequences", Goulard said that there was "no reason to have doubts" over its regional leadership role.
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Speaking on an all-women panel, defense ministers from Japan, Australia and France all criticized China's claim of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea.
"If we are to seek peace and prosperity, we need to summon our reserves".
"North Korea's attitude is feeding tensions in a region where we have major economic interest, and we do not want to see an arms race here", Goulard said.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. The system could be used to defend against a possible missile attack by North Korea.
"North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them is not new, but the regime has increased the pace and scope of its efforts", said Mattis.
North Korea's "ultra precision and diversified Juche Rocket" will continue to thunder and skyrocket in full blast in numbers and in succession until the United States and other like-minded countries take their "right choices", it added.
Dean says Russian Federation and China are both aware of the threats the North Korean weapons program could pose to peace, but the United States has "pushed the envelope" in this issue.
"We can not accept Chinese actions that impinge on the interests of the global community, undermining the rules-based order that has benefited all countries represented here today including, and especially, China", he told some 500 delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue which focus on defence and security.
While Trump has said that he is confident that Chinese President Xi Jinping will "try very hard" pressure Pyongyang, a Chinese trade partner, Mattis made it sound it less certain that will happen.
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