New Delhi: Conflict at the Ukraine-Russia border is not over yet, and the latest statement arrived from the US General warned the US to be alert. “China may take advantage of the Ukraine crisis and do something provocative in Asia while Western powers are Focused on defusing tensions with Russia.” US General on Wednesday said.
General Kenneth Wilsbach, the head of US Pacific Air Forces, noted that China had aligned itself with Russia in the crisis, raising questions about its intentions in Asia.
Deployment of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers at the Ukraine border area – has triggered fears in Washington and other Western capitals of a looming invasion.
“From the standpoint of will China sees what’s happening in Europe and try to do something here in the Indo-Pacific absolutely yes, that’s a concern,” Wilsbach said, using an alternative term for the Asia-Pacific region.
Wilsbach said that when Beijing expressed support for Russia in the Ukraine standoff, he held talks with his staff and other “entities” in the region about its implications. Based in Hawaii, Wilsbach’s command would play a central role if conflict erupts in the Pacific.
Over the years, Beijing has been blamed for stoking tensions in the region as it has steadily cemented control of key islands and atolls in the South China Sea.
(_Vinayak)