The United States has sought to reassure China that expanding military U.S. ties with Australia are not aimed at containing China, Reuters quoted a U.S. defence official as saying on Thursday, a day after talks with the Chinese army. The talks on Wednesday, led by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy and the deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff, General Ma Xiaotian, went ahead despite those and other tensions, including U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in September. Flournoy told reporters that Ma had asked about U.S. intentions behind the plan to put as many as 2,500 U.S. Marines as well as U.S. war planes and navy ships at a base in Darwin, Australia. "We assured General Ma and his delegation that the U.S. does not seek to contain China. We do not view China as an adversary. That these posture changes were first and foremost about strengthening our alliance with Australia," she said at a briefing at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Flournoy said the plan was about fostering bonds with an "incredibly steadfast ally". "So, this really isn't about China. This is about Australia and ensuring that we remain present in the region in a way that is relevant to the kinds of, particularly non-traditional challenges that we face," she said.
