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"Empire and aggression have no place" in the Indo-Pacific region, said US Vice President Mike Pence, referring to China's growing presence in the region and Beijing's determination to make the South China Sea a Chinese sphere of influence.
Associated Press reports that Pence said Thursday in Singapore, at a summit gathering leaders of Southeast Asia, that Washington was looking for "an Indo-Pacific in which all nations, big and small, can prosper and prosper – safely in our sovereignty, confident in our values and strengthening "together."
Before leaving for the summit of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), which focuses on the economic and defense issues facing more than 630 million people, Pence insisted that US engagement in the region "has never been so strong".
He added that the decision of US President Donald Trump not to participate in the summit and that the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which is held this weekend in Papua New Guinea, is not "Not at all" stupid.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the APEC meeting in Port Moresby, which is interpreted as an indication of the growing importance of the South Pacific for China's geopolitical objectives.
Meanwhile, John Bolton reportedly said the United States would consider a second summit with North Korea.
the Korea Times The US National Security Adviser told the media on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting: "We told the North Koreans that US President Donald Trump was ready to hold a second summit with the North American leader. Korean Kim Jong-un. "
His remarks came as Trump called "false news" a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies that he had discovered 13 unreported North Korean missile bases.
The bases could be used to launch short-range intercontinental ballistic missiles as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the report cited by Bloomberg.
