IN SOUTH ASIA， WE ARE STRENGTHENING OUR PARTNERSHIPS， PARTICULARLY WITH INDIA. PRIME MINISTER MODI’S REMARKS YESTERDAY UNDERSCORED INDIA’S ROLE AS A LEADER AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARD IN THE INDO－PACIFIC REGION. THE U.S. VALUES THE ROLE INDIA CAN PLAY IN REGIONAL ＆ GLOBAL SECURITY， AND WE VIEW THE U.S.－INDIA RELATIONSHIP AS A NATURAL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE WORLD’S TWO LARGEST DEMOCRACIES BASED ON A CONVERGENCE OF STRATEGIC INTERESTS， SHARED VALUES ＆ RESPECT FOR A RULES－BASED INT’L ORDER
OUR REGIONAL COOPERATION IS GROWING IN A RANGE OF AREAS CONSISTENT WITH THESE SHARED OBJECTIVES. OUR PARTNERSHIP EXTENDS BEYOND THE INDO－PACIFIC REGION， AND WE WELCOME INDIA’S CONTINUED SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO STABILITY ＆ RECONSTRUCTION IN AFG
WE ARE ALSO INCREASING OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH OTHER PACIFIC ALLIES， SUCH AS THE U.K.， FRA ＆ CANADA， WITH WHOM WE SHARE ENDURING INTERESTS IN THE REGION…
A GENERATION FROM NOW， WE WILL BE JUDGED ON WHETHER WE SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED RISING POWERS WHILE INCREASING ECON. PROSPERITY， MAINTAINING INT’L COOPERATION BASED ON AGREED－UPON RULES ＆ NORMS， PROTECTING FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF OUR PEOPLES ＆ AVOIDING CONFLICT…
OUR INDO－PACIFIC STRATEGY INFORMS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA
WE ARE AWARE CHINA WILL FACE AN ARRAY OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN COMING YEARS， WE ARE PREPARED TO SUPPORT CHINA’S CHOICES IF THEY PROMOTE LONG－TERM PEACE AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL IN THIS DYNAMIC REGION
YET CHINA’S POLICY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA STANDS IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE OPENNESS OUR STRATEGY PROMOTES； IT CALLS INTO QUESTION CHINA’S BROADER， GOALS
CHINA’S MILITARIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL FEATURES IN THE SCS INCLUDES THE DEPLOYMENT OF ANTI－SHIP MISSILES， SURFACE－TO－AIR MISSILES， ELECTRONIC JAMMERS ＆， MORE RECENTLY， THE LANDING OF BOMBER AIRCRAFT AT WOODY ISLAND
DESPITE CHINA’S CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY， THE PLACEMENT OF THESE WEAPON SYSTEMS IS TIED DIRECTLY TO MILITARY USE FOR THE PURPOSES OF INTIMIDATION AND COERCION
－ CHINA’S MILITARIZATION OF THE SPRATLY’S IS ALSO IN DIRECT CONTRADICTION TO PRES. XI’S 2015 PUBLIC ASSURANCES IN THE WHITE HOUSE ROSE GARDEN
FOR THESE REASONS， AND AS AN INITIAL RESPONSE TO CHINA’S CONTINUED MILITARIZATION OF THE SCS， LAST WEEK WE DISINVITED THE PEOPLES LIBERATION ARMY NAVY FROM THE 2018 RIM OF THE PACIFIC EXERCISE， AS CHINA’S BEHAVIOR IS INCONSISTENT W／ THE PRINCIPLES ＆ PURPOSES OF THE RIMPAC EXERCISE – ONE IN WHICH TRANSPARENCY AND COOPERATION ARE HALLMARKS
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