January 23, 2018

WASHINGTON -- US Defence Secretary James Mattis has begun a one-week trip to Asia, hoping to strengthen defence cooperation with Indonesia and Vietnam as regional Chinese military power looms ever larger.

"We share the Pacific - it's an ocean named for peace - we would like to see it remain peaceful, so all the nations that use it and live here are prosperous," Mr Mattis told reporters accompanying him on Sunday on a plane headed to the region.

Mr Mattis was to arrive in the Indonesian capital Jakarta yesterday evening and meet today President Joko Widodo and Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu for talks on maritime cooperation. The vast Indonesian archipelago reaches from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.

Read more:

http://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/mattis-makes-asia-trip-to-draw-contrast-with-china