China wants to control Indo-Pacific, Defense Secretary Austin says – Nikkei Asia

A sailor assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Task Force 70 fast-ropes from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh in the Philippine Sea. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy) KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia chief desk editor June 11, 2021 05:11 JST | North America Copy Copied NEW YORK — China is set on controlling the Indo-Pacific, and without a direct line of communication between leaders in Washington and Beijing, a small incident can spark a crisis, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Thursday. Austin described the lack of a hotline — popularly called a…