US defence chief Lloyd Austin says China is getting 'more coercive' in its territorial claims | South China Morning Post

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told a key security summit on Saturday that Beijing is getting "more coercive" in its territorial claims and Washington is committed to helping its allies in the Indo-Pacific defend themselves. The US would ensure its allies had the right capabilities to "deter aggression", he said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue , a three-day defence gathering in Singapore organised by British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "We seek a region free of aggression and bullying, and we seek a world that respects territorial integrity and political independence," Austin said. "That's especially…