US looks to ease Chinese concerns of containment

US officials have used defense consultations to assuage Chinese anxieties that it was looking to contain China’s influence in the Asia Pacific region, the Financial Times reported. “The US does not seek to contain China, we do not view China as an adversary,” said US Undersecretary for Defense Michele Flournoy following the bilateral talks. Flournoy met with Chinese General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as tensions mount between the US and China, after a US$5.9 billion arms deal with Taiwan in September and the decision to station 2,500 US marines in Australia. Some of the PLA have expressed concern over recent actions. “The United States is making much of its ‘return to Asia,’ has been positioning pieces and forces on China’s periphery, and the intent is very clear – this is aimed at China, to contain China,” wrote Major General Luo Yuan, of the US’ recent involvement in South China Sea disputes.