'Noticeably More Aggressive': US Chief of Staff's Warning About Chinese Military

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During his trip to the Indo-Pacific, General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, flagged concerns about the Chinese military on Sunday, 24 July, stating that it has become more aggressive and dangerous over the last five years.

"The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region," Milley said during his stop in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He also raised concerns about China's recent security deal with the Solomon Islands.

"This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes – and again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons,” Milley told reporters travelling with him.

“They’re trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favourable to our allies and partners in the region."

He also met General Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian military, and added that the US wants to engage more in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernise our militaries collectively."

(With inputs from Reuters and The Guardian.)