Visits Indo-Pacific Region, US Joint Chiefs Of Staff: China's Military Becomes More Aggressive In Air And Sea, Indonesia's Value Strategic Partner

Gen. Mark Milley United States Army. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - China's military has become much more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, a top US military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stopover in Indonesia.

This was made by General Milley, a senior military official in Uncle Sam's country when Indonesian President Joko Widodo will begin his working visit to East Asia by visiting China on Monday.

Set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, President Joko Widodo will be the first foreign leader Beijing has received in two years, apart from last February's Winter Olympics.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said on Sunday the number of intercepts by Chinese planes and ships in the Pacific region of the US and other partner forces had increased significantly during that time, and the number of unsafe interactions had increased by a similar proportion.

"The message is that the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, has become significantly more aggressive in this particular region", said General Milley, who recently asked his staff to gather details on interactions between China and the US and others in the region, reported by The Guardian on July 25.

His comments were made on the way to a meeting with TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa in Jakarta.

Milley's trip to the region focused heavily on the Chinese threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific defense chiefs next week in Australia, where the main topics will be China's increasing military growth and the need to maintain a free, open, and peaceful Pacific.

General Mark Milley United States of America. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

US military officials have also warned of the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, possibly in 2027. It is known that China has stepped up its military provocations against the self-governing island, intimidating it into uniting with the communist mainland.

In addition, the US and others are also concerned that the recent security agreement Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The US and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting Chinese military bases will not be tolerated.

"This is an area where China is trying to do outreach for their own ends and again, it's worrying because China isn't doing it just for harmless reasons", Milley said.

“They are trying to expand their influence across the region. And that has potential not always favorable consequences for our allies and partners in the region."

It said President Joe Biden's Administration had taken steps to expand its military and security ties with Indo-Pacific nations, as part of a campaign to build a stronger alliance network in China's backyard and counter China's growing influence.

"We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our military collectively", Milley said, to ensure they can "meet whatever challenges China faces".

He said Indonesia was strategically important to the region and has long been a key US partner, as he spent the afternoon at Indonesia's military headquarters in Jakarta.